Rosberg: Ferrari 'must listen' to Hamilton’s guidance amid struggles

Nico Rosberg has called on Ferrari to take seriously the feedback and recommendations provided by Lewis Hamilton, who has been working relentlessly behind the scenes to influence the direction of the Scuderia’s Formula 1 project.

The seven-time World Champion has endured a difficult start to life in red, trailing team-mate Charles Leclerc in both performance and points. At the summer break, the Monegasque had already claimed five podiums and sat 42 points clear of Hamilton in the Drivers’ standings.

Despite the struggles, Hamilton revealed that he has been deeply engaged with Ferrari leadership, ensuring his voice is heard on both short- and long-term improvements.

“I’ve sent documents through the year. After the first few races, I did a full document for the team;” Hamilton explained at last month’s Belgian Grand Prix.

“Then during this break, I had another two documents that I sent in and so then I come in and want to address those.

“Some of it’s structural adjustments that we need to make as a team in order to get better and all the areas that we want to improve.

“The other one was really about the car, the current issues that I have with this car, some things that you do want to take on to the next year’s car and some that you need to work on changing for next year.”

The 40-year-old confirmed that he had “called lots of meetings” during the three-week gap between Silverstone and Spa, speaking directly with Ferrari president John Elkann, CEO Benedetto Vigna, team principal Fred Vasseur and technical director Loic Serra about the path forward to 2026.

Rosberg: “Ferrari must listen”

Hamilton’s former Mercedes teammate and 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg believes Ferrari cannot afford to overlook such insight, stressing that Hamilton’s record demands respect.

“He’s a seven-time World Champion, so you definitely have to listen to what a seven-time World Champion is telling you,” Rosberg told Sky Sports F1.

“But it also takes time. Many of the things they cannot just change overnight. If the brakes are an issue, it’s a long lead time to develop the new brake system. Or if he’s not happy with the balance, it’s a really long process.

“So in many senses, he will be even thinking about next year already now as well, with some of the things that he’s talking about.

“I think it’s a good sign, though, that we’re hearing that Lewis is pushing, you know. He’s not like resign, giving up, but he’s really pushing hard, the team, the owners, the team boss. That’s a great sign.”

Frustrations and flashes of self-doubt

The British driver’s determination comes against a backdrop of personal frustration. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton endured one of his toughest weekends in Ferrari colors, qualifying only 12th and finishing in the same spot, while Leclerc took pole and finished fourth.

Hamilton was brutally self-critical, calling himself “useless” and even suggesting Ferrari “change driver” after his early Q2 exit.

He also hinted at internal issues, remarking that some things happening in the “background” at Ferrari were “not great.”

Gene highlights Hamilton’s main concern

Ferrari ambassador and ex- F1 driver Marc Gene, who has been present in the team’s debriefs, offered insight into what has been troubling Hamilton most with the SF-25 car.

“The only thing now really is this instability,” Gene said. “That really bothers him a lot. Charles probably can cope with it.

“But believe me, I’m in the briefings, and there’s a lot of positives. But still not fully, you know, there are still areas that we need to give him a car that he feels more comfortable [with] and can push straight away and can do a proper weekend.

“Because he’s never really done it yet, except the Sprint in China. There’s been positives, but not the full package yet.”

Whether Ferrari can implement Hamilton’s ideas swiftly enough to shift turn around his fortunes this season remains uncertain, but the Briton’s insistence on being heard makes clear that he has no intention of fading quietly into the background.

Read also: Steiner’s ominous forecast hanging over Hamilton’s Ferrari dream

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