Archive · 17 Nov 2025
Valtteri Bottas Comments on Lewis Hamilton's Difficult Ferrari Adaptation
Imagine a star race car driver, Lewis, who has won many championships with one team for a very long time.
He recently moved to a new team, Ferrari, which is like changing schools.
His old teammate, Valtteri, says Lewis is having a harder time getting used to the new team than people thought.
At his old team, everything was familiar, but Ferrari works differently.
Even though Lewis is a great driver and has won some races and qualified well, his new teammate, Charles, is doing much better overall this year.
Valtteri thinks Lewis just needs more time to adjust and will likely do much better next year.
He also says Charles is a really good driver who might have been underestimated.
Valtteri Bottas believes Lewis Hamilton is struggling to adapt to Ferrari in his 2025 debut season.
Hamilton has experienced a tough start with no podiums, while teammate Charles Leclerc is leading the team's performance.
Bottas attributes the difficulty to the significant cultural and operational shift from Hamilton's long tenure at Mercedes.
Despite the struggles, Bottas expects Hamilton to improve significantly in the 2026 season.
Bottas also praised Charles Leclerc, suggesting he may have been underestimated by some.
- Who
- Valtteri Bottas, former teammate of Lewis Hamilton
- What
- Weighing in on Lewis Hamilton's struggles to adapt to Ferrari in his debut season
- When
- November 16, 2025
- Where
- Motorsport Brazil (interview source)
- Why
- Bottas believes Hamilton is finding it harder than expected to adjust to Ferrari's culture and operations after many years at Mercedes.
Hamilton's Adaptation Difficult
Hamilton Will Improve
Current Performance at Ferrari
Hamilton's Adaptation Difficult
Lewis Hamilton is struggling to adapt at Ferrari in 2025, with a tough start to his debut season, no podiums, and a teammate, Charles Leclerc, outperforming him significantly in points scored and qualifying battles.
Hamilton Will Improve
Despite a difficult start, Hamilton has shown flashes of speed, including a pole position in his second qualifying session and winning the Chinese GP Sprint, indicating potential for improvement.
Reason for Struggle
Hamilton's Adaptation Difficult
The adaptation is taking longer than expected due to the significant cultural and operational shift from Mercedes, where Hamilton was deeply integrated and accustomed to the team's workings.
Hamilton Will Improve
While acknowledging the adjustment period, Bottas suggests Hamilton's past success at Mercedes might have set higher initial expectations, and he is fundamentally an adaptive driver.
Charles Leclerc's Role
Hamilton's Adaptation Difficult
Charles Leclerc is consistently leading the team and carrying Ferrari's success, suggesting that perhaps Leclerc has been underestimated by some.
Hamilton Will Improve
While Leclerc is performing strongly, Hamilton has still managed to outqualify him seven times this season, demonstrating Hamilton's continued competitive edge in certain aspects.
- Driver
- Lewis Hamilton
- Team
- Ferrari
- Season
- 2025
- Teammate
- Charles Leclerc
- Bottas's Prediction
- Hamilton will improve and be better next year (2026).