Hamilton's radio chatter: Ferrari car 'the worst it's ever been'

Lewis Hamilton’s frustration boiled over during the Spanish Grand Prix as the seven-time world champion delivered a damning verdict to his race engineer on his Ferrari SF-25, labelling it “the worst it’s ever been” in a series of newly surfaced team radio messages.

The Briton’s transfer to Ferrari in 2025 was meant to herald a new chapter of success for the seven-time world champion, but with each passing race, Hamilton’s plight appears to be getting increasingly dire.

The F1 veteran, who had started strongly in Barcelona after securing his best qualifying result since joining the Scuderia, faded dramatically over the course of the race before ultimately finishing sixth – being bumped up one position in the standings thanks to a post-race penalty for Max Verstappen.

Hamilton had climbed as high as fourth early on after a good launch off the line, but his race began to unravel within 10 laps as he was ordered to move aside for teammate Charles Leclerc due to a lack of pace.

Things deteriorated even further in the final stint following a late Safety Car period, with Hamilton losing positions and complaining of handling issues before being overtaken by Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber – a car that was not expected to challenge Ferrari on pace.

Hamilton’s raw radio communications paint a picture of a driver increasingly bewildered by his car’s behavior and performance, casting doubt over Ferrari’s ability to provide him with a consistent platform as the season wears on.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with this car”

Hamilton’s discomfort became evident under the Safety Car, where he first questioned a change made to his front wing during his last pit stop.

“The front of the car feels so light all of a sudden. There’s something wrong with that last front wing [change] I think,” he told his race engineer, Riccardo Adami.

When racing resumed, Hamilton's concerns deepened. As his pace dropped off and he slipped down the order, he radioed again:

“I don’t know what’s wrong with this car, mate.”

His post-race final message, delivered as he made his way back to the pits, offered a damning assessment of the SF-25’s condition on the day.

“Yeah unbelievable guys,” Hamilton said, audibly exasperated. “There’s something wrong with this car, mate. It’s the worst it’s ever been.”

Hamilton was visibly frustrated in parc fermé, shaking his head as he climbed out of his machine after a weekend that initially promised far more.

Vasseur Acknowledges a Problem, Downplays Drama

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur confirmed that Hamilton’s car had suffered from an unspecified issue prior to the Safety Car, though he was keen to downplay the severity of the situation and dismiss any notion of internal drama.

"You are experienced enough to draw a conclusion after the first words of the driver," Vasseur said after the race. “If you want to create a polemic, you can. But it's not the case."

The Frenchman also defended Hamilton’s overall performance by highlighting his position relative to Mercedes’ George Russell for the bulk of the race.

"I think he did 70 per cent of the race in front of Russell. I'm not sure that Russell said that the race was a disaster,” Vasseur noted.

“But then we had an issue on the car in the last stint, before the Safety Car. The result is not good, but he did 45 laps in front of Russell.”

Despite the deflection, Vasseur’s comments confirm Ferrari’s awareness of technical trouble on Hamilton’s side of the garage.

But with more than a dozen races still to come, Hamilton’s blunt comments will ring loudly within Maranello, where questions will now mount over whether the team can deliver the kind of performance and consistency a champion expects.

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