Steiner slaps Hamilton with tough wake-up call

13:59, 13 Aug 2025

Updated: 18:49, 13 Aug 2025

byNorberto Mujica

Lewis Hamilton’s ongoing Ferrari struggles are down to more than just learning a new car, they’re also linked to a drop in belief, says Guenther Steiner.

The former Haas boss told Web.de: “He has lost self-confidence. If you don’t believe in yourself anymore, you can’t perform.”

He added that while early difficulties could be explained by settling into a new team, engineer, and processes, those excuses no longer apply.

“In the beginning, you could explain it with the settling-in… but why is it still not going well?”

Age is a big factor

Steiner acknowledged that age, Hamilton turns 41 next year, can be a factor, but insisted the Briton remains in top physical shape.

“Age always plays a role… of course, you don’t get faster with age. But he can absolutely drive at a good level for a few more years.

"But if you don’t have the joy anymore, if you realize you’re just fighting, then it’s no use. Then it’s better to say: I tried, it didn’t work and I’ll stop.”

The Italian’s comments add to mounting scrutiny over Hamilton’s performance compared to Leclerc, with the Monegasque consistently outscoring his new teammate.

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	51
2	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	47
3	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	34
4	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	33
5	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	17
6	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	15
7	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	9
8	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	8
9	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	8
10	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	4
11	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	4
12	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	3
13	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	2
14	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	2
15	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	1
16	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	0
17	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
18	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	0
19	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
20	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
21	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	0
22	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0

Steiner slaps Hamilton with tough wake-up call

byNorberto Mujica

Age is a big factor

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