🏁 Former world champion Nigel Mansell has voiced what many Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton fans are thinking: Ferrari must improve — fast — if Hamilton is to have any chance at fighting for a title in 2025.
Speaking at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the 1992 Formula 1 world champion couldn’t hide his concern as Hamilton’s dream debut season with Ferrari continues to underwhelm. Despite a sprint race win in China, Hamilton has yet to step onto a Grand Prix podium and currently sits sixth in the drivers’ standings with 103 points at the halfway mark of the season.
“I just wish Ferrari would get something back that they had last year,” Mansell said. “They should be competing at the top. They’ve lost something this winter.”
Mansell — who himself drove for Ferrari between 1989 and 1990 and earned the love of the tifosi as “Il Leone” — knows the pressure of carrying the Scuderia’s legacy. And like Hamilton, he too made the bold move from Britain to Maranello hoping for glory.
With Ferrari currently second in the constructors’ standings but a massive 238 points behind dominant leaders McLaren, the championship already feels out of reach. For a team that fought McLaren until the final race of 2024 in Abu Dhabi, the drop-off has been staggering.
“No, Lewis is fantastic. Great world champion,” Mansell added. “But this isn’t what he signed up for.”
While Hamilton continues to give everything behind the wheel, fans and legends alike are now asking the big question:
Can Ferrari fix their issues before Hamilton’s golden opportunity slips away?