Guenther Steiner raises alarming concern about Lewis Hamilton’s struggles at Ferrari

Ex-Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner is concerned that Lewis Hamilton could lose his confidence amid his tough start to life at Ferrari in 2025.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was Hamilton’s most disappointing weekend in Ferrari colours.

Hamilton finished over 30 seconds behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in the race.

The seven-time world champion ultimately finished seventh, while Leclerc picked up Ferrari’s first podium of the year.

Hamilton was incredibly downbeat after the race on Sunday, conceding that there’s no easy “fix”.

Steiner, who was Haas team principal between 2016 and 2023, offered his perspective on Hamilton’s struggles.

“It is slowly becoming a concern in my [opinion],” Steiner told The Red Flags Podcast.

“I’m more concerned about what he thinks about when he’s asking about where I lose time.

“Jeez, the engineer can tell you where you’re losing time but, for sure, he can’t make you understand why you’re losing it. That’s down to you.

“And the worst thing would be if Lewis is losing his confidence, because then it will be a backwards race. It is a concern, in my opinion.

“And, obviously, they will work on it, and Lewis will be the first one to work on it. How they get out? I have no idea.”

Hamilton’s struggles continue in 2025

Hamilton will be hopeful that his significant deficit to Leclerc in Saudi Arabia was a one-off.

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit has been a circuit that Hamilton has struggled on since the start of the ‘ground effect’ era.

He failed to out-qualify George Russell in their three years together in Jeddah.

Leclerc has often saved his best performances for street circuits.

Miami will be an important weekend for Hamilton as he looks to gain confidence ahead of the European season.

While Ferrari aren’t expected to introduce any new upgrades until Imola - the following race - a completely different track limit might mean Hamilton is more competitive.

The Chinese Grand Prix - like Miami, a sprint weekend - was Hamilton’s most competitive yet for Ferrari.

He took pole in sprint qualifying before dominating the sprint race.

Hamilton out-qualified Leclerc in the two sessions at the Shanghai International Circuit.