'If anyone can make it work at Ferrari, it's Lewis Hamilton'

17:01, 19 Nov

byOlly Darcy

Former deputy team principal Claire Williams believes that Lewis Hamilton will be able to turn his miserable debut season with Ferrari around and "make it work".

"They will have a very different way of doing things, and even someone of Lewis’ calibre and experience is still going to take some time to settle in."

- Claire Williams

The seven-time world champion made the move from Mercedes to the Scuderia for the 2025 season, bringing to an end a 12-year partnership with the German team, earning six drivers' titles and eight constructors' championships together.

However, the move has not materialised, with the 40-year-old languishing in P6 in the drivers' standings on 148 points without a Grand Prix win or podium to his name, sitting 66 points off teammate Charles Leclerc.

“I think to a degree, but I think we can all probably underestimate how hard it is for a driver to change team,” she started by saying on talkSPORT when asked if Hamilton's debut season with Ferrari had surprised her.

Lewis Hamilton added to a disastrous 2025 season with a DNF at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, a favourite of the seven-time world champion - Photo: Race Pictures

“Lewis was at Mercedes for a long, long time, and when he first arrived at Mercedes, that team was kind of new. He was able to shape it in the way that he perhaps wanted to a bit, and he’s now transitioned over to what is a really different team, with a hugely different culture.

“Ferrari, it’s Italian, they’ve got the tifosi. They will have a very different way of doing things. And even someone of Lewis’ calibre and experience is still going to take some time to settle in.

“He wanted to go to Ferrari, inevitably, to fill the childhood dream that I think all Formula 1 drivers have, to wear the red overalls with the prancing horse.”

Williams sees Hamilton finding his feet at Ferrari

Hamilton will just have three races to try and find his way onto the Grand Prix podium before the season ends, hoping to avoid missing out on a Grand Prix trophy for the first time in his career.

With a career low and unwanted record already broken for the Brit, there is still the belief from Williams that Hamilton can make something happen in his time at Ferrari.

“We’ve just got to, I suppose, give it a bit more time, see what happens going into 2026. But, sometimes these moves, they work out, sometimes they don’t. But I suppose if anyone can make it work, it’s probably going to be Lewis Hamilton.”

GPblog's latest F1 Paddock Update

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.