Lewis Hamilton doesn’t want to see Friday’s Ferrari again in Mexico
Lewis Hamilton isn’t sugarcoating it. After a scruffy return to the cockpit in Mexico City, the seven-time champion said he has no intention of racing Ferrari’s SF-25 in the state it ran on Friday.
Hamilton sat out FP1 as Antonio Fuoco handled Ferrari’s rookie requirement, with Charles Leclerc topping the session in 1:18.380, a tenth clear of Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli. When the race drivers rejoined for FP2, Max Verstappen set the pace with Leclerc 0.153s back. Hamilton ended the afternoon fifth, roughly three-tenths from the top — close on paper, but nowhere near comfortable.
“It’s been a long day,” came the prompt from the TV pen. Hamilton’s response landed heavier than a punchline: “It’s been a long year.”
So far, it’s been a podium-less year in red for the Briton. Friday didn’t change the mood. The altitude at the AutĂłdromo Hermanos RodrĂguez exaggerates the lack of grip and trims downforce even on maximum wing, and Hamilton said the SF-25 felt like it was skating.
“I’m surprised how relatively close we are given how not great it felt,” he admitted. “You’re sliding around trying to find grip, but it’s just not there. It wasn’t disastrous, but I missed FP1 — Antonio did a great job — and then the car was sliding around a lot, so the balance is very open. I’ve got a lot of work to do overnight to try and find a more streamlined balance.”
He didn’t mince words about where things stand before qualifying: “I definitely don’t want to race what we had today. The long-run balance wasn’t disastrous, but we need to get more from the tyres. I know there’s more pace in the car.”
The plan is to swing at set-up — within reason. Asked if there’s a danger in moving too far as the track rubbers in, Hamilton shrugged it off: “There is always a danger, but I don’t think it can make it worse. Touch wood. We won’t be silly with the decisions we take. We’ll look through the data tonight and come up with some plans.”
Across the garage, Leclerc looked sharper over one lap, but even he wasn’t convinced Ferrari has McLaren covered on Sunday. “I guess McLaren are on another planet, no?” he asked race engineer Bryan Bozzi over the radio during the long runs. The reply: “Yeah, for now Norris is very fast.”
Hamilton hadn’t dived into the stints data when asked about McLaren’s picture, but he’d seen enough to know the orange cars will be a factor. “I saw a GPS of one of the McLarens — they think they lost a bit of time in the high-speed. I don’t know where they’ve lost their pace, because at one point they were, like, a second, eight tenths, half a second ahead, and now they’re… But I’m sure they’ll pull out some good pace tomorrow, they’re a great team.”
Ferrari’s Friday, then, was a blend: encouraging one-lap flashes, a car that kept its tyres alive just enough to be relevant, and a driver who knows he needs a different feeling entirely by the time the lights go out. Hamilton’s been around long enough to know Mexico punishes indecision — and overreach. The trick is to find stability without choking the car’s rotation, to keep the rears sweet in Sector 2, and to avoid the kind of slide that destroys your Sunday by lap seven.
If there’s a positive, it’s that Hamilton tends to come alive when he’s got a clear direction. Right now, the direction is “away from Friday.” Whether that’s two clicks of rear ride height, a beam wing tweak, or a braver mechanical rake, Ferrari has a long night to make the SF-25 something he’s willing to fight with.
He won’t promise miracles. But you don’t need miracles in Mexico — you need traction, temperature, and a car that stops moving around when the driver asks it not to. Ferrari’s job is to give Hamilton that car by qualifying. His job is to do the rest.
