01/08/2025 18:50
Lewis Hamilton expects there to be "tears" during the F1 summer
break over his difficult start to life at Ferrari. The 40-year-old
described his first half season with the Italian team as a "real
battle", with results falling short of the high expectations that
accompanied the British driver to Maranello. Despite winning the
sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix and finishing third in the
one-third-distance race in Miami, the seven-time F1 drivers'
champion has so far failed to reach the grand prix rostrum this
campaign. Having not done so since the Las Vegas Grand Prix last
year, it is the longest podium-free spell of his F1 career, which
began in 2007 with nine consecutive top-three finishes. Speaking to
Sky Sports F1 , Hamilton said he thinks about his current drought
"every day" of a season in which team-mate Charles Leclerc has
visited the rostrum five times in the opening 12 rounds. The
105-time grand prix winner labelled 2025 the "most intense" year he
has experienced in recent memory, admitting he needs to "get away
and recharge" over the summer. "This has definitely been... I mean,
the last God knows how many seasons have been hard in their own
way," Hamilton told the United Kingdom's F1 broadcaster. "This
one's definitely been the most intense one, I would say, just from
a work perspective, integrating into a new culture, into a new
team, it's not gone smoothly in all areas, and it's been a real
battle. "So, yeah, my spirit... I definitely need to get away and
recharge, be around the kids, laugh, let go. "[I'm] sure there'll
be some tears at some point, and I think that's really healthy," he
added, underlining the importance of expressing emotions. 'Ah man,
I love it!' Despite the underwhelming performances on track this
term, Hamilton highlighted his excitement and "love" for working
with the Scuderia, pinpointing his growing "camaraderie" with the
team. "But I am excited, or I'm always excited, to race," he added.
"I love what I do. I love being red. I love working with this team,
and I have such belief in this team. "It's really hard to explain,
but I already had it a lot when I was in my previous team
[Mercedes]. Like, over time, you really build that camaraderie -
and I see the passion in this team. "Ah, man, I love it! It's like,
all I want to do is contribute the best I can. Of course, I need to
do most of that, mostly on track, and I'm not always hitting that,
but also in the background, I see there's things that we can always
improve, and there's things that I can improve on. "So, yeah, I'm
just really excited for this break, I think for everybody,
particularly the guys at the factory. "I think they'll definitely
enjoy this time with their family, and then we'll come back, extra
energised for the second half."
