As Ferrari continues to face difficulties during the opening races of the 2025 Formula 1 season, there is rising pressure for the team to give greater importance to Lewis Hamilton’s feedback. The British Grand Prix highlighted Ferrari’s ongoing struggles and intensified calls for the seven-time world champion‘s insights to be fully integrated into car development moving forward.
Italian media sources, alongside experts on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, emphasized the importance of Hamilton’s input. Simon Lazenby noted that Hamilton’s former performance engineer, Jock Clear, now with Ferrari, is a strong supporter of listening closely to Hamilton’s detailed feedback to improve the team’s performance.
Key Ally Jock Clear Emphasizes Hamilton’s Valuable Insight
Jock Clear, who accompanied Hamilton as his performance engineer at Mercedes before joining Ferrari, is urging the team to heed Hamilton’s evaluations. Lazenby explained the significance of this support, highlighting Clear’s close working relationship with Hamilton at two top teams and his recognition of Hamilton’s exceptional feedback.
I spoke to Jock Clear, and Jock Clear has worked with Lewis with both, he’s worked with him at Mercedes and he’s worked with him at Ferrari,
Simon Lazenby said.
There’s a reason he’s won seven world championships. His feedback is amazing.
Former Champion Damon Hill Advocates Prioritising Hamilton Over Leclerc
Damon Hill, the 1996 F1 world champion, voiced his opinion that Ferrari should focus more on Hamilton’s input rather than Charles Leclerc’s as the team moves forward. Hill underlined the challenges Hamilton faces adapting to a new environment after 11 seasons with Mercedes and stressed the value of his experience.
There’s so much to learn about a new team,
Hill said, adding that acclimating to new teammates, communication styles, and car setup takes time. He expressed doubts about Leclerc’s ability to lead Ferrari’s development due to Leclerc’s lack of experience outside the team.
That’s the problem. Going from one team to another, it takes a few years.
Sky Sports F1’s David Croft Highlights Urgency for Ferrari to Act on Feedback
Commentator David Croft agreed that Ferrari must listen carefully to Hamilton’s feedback if they hope to improve this season. Croft noted that the team’s upgrade window is closing soon, with only one major car update scheduled for Spa, leaving limited time to address current technical issues.
He pointed to difficulties Ferrari faces with the car’s rear design, particularly the damper and cramped space caused by relocating the cockpit, which has affected their competitiveness from the season’s start.
If that redesign and the floor is working, then we’ll see, if they get the set up and the strategy right, some better performances in the second half [of the season].
Ferrari’s Next Steps Critical to Mid-Season Turnaround
With the 2025 season well underway and upgrades largely finalized after Spa, Ferrari’s ability to turn around their performance now depends heavily on how well they incorporate Hamilton’s feedback and address existing car design issues. The team‘s response will likely shape their championship hopes in the coming months.
Experts’ calls for prioritising Hamilton’s insight underscore a tense atmosphere within Ferrari, as the team struggles to evolve quickly enough to compete against their rivals this year. How Ferrari handles this feedback phase could reveal much about both Hamilton’s future at the team and their overall competitiveness in 2025.
