Former Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle has watched the change in Lewis Hamilton’s approach to racing with Ferrari following his performance at the 2025 Italian Grand Prix. Despite starting with a five-place grid penalty, the Ferrari driver showed a visible improvement in confidence as he finished sixth at Monza.
After speeding under double-waved yellow flags at Zandvoort, Hamilton started his weekend in front of the tifosi on the back foot. But the seven-time world champion was still able to push his way up the pack, although was unable to pass his former team-mate George Russell. His recovery was a breath of fresh air for both the Scuderia and the driver, with Hamilton struggling so far this season.
Writing in his column for Sky Sports F1, Brundle discusses what he saw as a big change in the driver’s mindset.
“Lewis Hamilton was carrying a five-place grid drop for speeding indiscretions going to the grid in Zandvoort which frankly were a fair cop, and he would start 10th, but once again coming through the pack as he did at Silverstone and other races, we would witness Lewis driving as we remember from years previous,” he wrote.
“All round he looked more comfortable in the car, and seems to have had a mindset adjustment of making the best of what he has instead of being frustrated that he’s not got a race-winning car underneath him.
“He’s probably also come to terms with just how fast Charles Leclerc is. It was nice to observe Lewis looking happier.”
The 40-year-old has been trailing Leclerc since joining Ferrari at the beginning of the season. Leading him by 46 points, the Monegasque is fifth in the drivers’ standings with five podiums so far this season. Hamilton, apart from a sprint win in China, has yet to score his maiden podium with the team.
“I think this weekend built a lot on my confidence with the car,” he said on his Monza weekend. “I’m still not 100% comfortable in the car. I think ultimately that’s driving kind of an alien driving style with a car that I’m not 100 per cent comfortable with.
“But I think overall, our performance was fairly decent. We obviously don’t have the pace of the cars much further ahead. So competing for top three is off the cards for a while, but we keep pushing, trying to extract more.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 / Getty Images
Describing his car as “alien”, the former Mercedes driver still isn’t entirely one with his Italian machinery.
“I know I’ve been driving this car all year long, but in my previous years, I was a part of a car that you’re evolving over time, and you were comfortable with it. You know the driving style, inside and out.
“I think this year, I’m arriving at the track and having to apply this new driving style that is still alien to me. It doesn’t feel natural to a car. That’s how it likes to work.
“So through the race, I’m just getting better and better and faster and faster, and I’m unlocking in that and gaining confidence bit by bit, but that’s not there early on in the weekend to really be able to really harness it.
“If we were to do qualifying now, I think I would have been quite a bit quicker, but that’s all part of it.”
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