Pizzas, Challenges, And Aspirations: Lewis Hamilton’s Candid Reflections Ahead Of Miami GP

As the Formula 1 circus descends upon Miami for the fourth round of the 2025 season, Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton opens up about the challenges he has faced since joining the Italian team and his hopes for the upcoming race weekend.

The seven-time world champion, who made the switch from Mercedes to Ferrari at the beginning of the year, has had a somewhat frustrating start to the season, with the car’s performance proving inconsistent across the first three races. However, Hamilton remains optimistic about the potential of the SF25 and is determined to unlock its full potential.

“There’s not one particular thing,” Hamilton explained when asked about the factors preventing him from consistently delivering quick stints during races. “When I joined Mercedes, the first six months were tough getting attuned to working with new people. Obviously, the engineers I’m working with now are used to setting up a car for a different driver and a different driving style, and I’m used to driving a car with a different driving style. So it’s a combination of a bunch of different things.”

The Briton also shed light on the adjustments he has had to make to his driving style to suit the characteristics of the Ferrari. “You’re generally always a mixture of the two [instinctive and conscious driving], but I’m definitely working hard to adjust to this one for sure,” he admitted.

Looking ahead to the Miami Grand Prix, Hamilton remained cautious about his and the team’s prospects, stating, “No clue. We’ll do the best we can. We’ve not got upgrades or anything this weekend, but we continue to try and optimise the car. Obviously, Charles [Leclerc] in the last race did a fantastic job and showed what the car can do in a race. So the goal is to try to replicate that.”

Off the track, Hamilton has been enjoying his time in Italy, despite the temptations of the local cuisine. “Trying to stay off the pizzas and the pasta, which I’m not doing very well with if I’m honest. I was there last week and had like three pizzas in two days,” he joked. The 38-year-old also praised the team’s responsiveness and support during his transition period, saying, “Lots of changes, a huge amount of work has been going on from my first days there to adjust certain things, for example in the sim, and everyone’s been really responsive and massively supportive. So I’ve really appreciated it.”

Hamilton also took a moment to reflect on the influence of his friend and fellow British sporting icon, David Beckham, who celebrates his 50th birthday this weekend. “David’s a friend – someone I have a huge amount of respect for. Obviously growing up watching him – particularly as I was massively into soccer, football – so seeing his story, watching his career, watching his documentary that came out – which I thought was amazing. And just what he’s been able to do, particularly after his active career, is something I’ve always kept an eye on,” he said.

As the race weekend approaches, Hamilton and the Ferrari team have been working diligently to find solutions to their early-season woes. “We went through a lot, did some good sim running. There are things that we’ve made adjustments to. We’ll see how they work this weekend,” he revealed.

When asked about how he deals with criticism and questioning during challenging times, the Briton remained focused on his goals. “I just don’t really think about it. I try not to really focus on opinions of people that have no insight into actually what is going on – insights from individuals that have never been in my position. So yeah, I just keep my head down and try to continue to enjoy the work that I do with the people I work with,” he stated.

Finally, Hamilton addressed the role of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) and its relationship with the FIA. “I think ultimately the GPDA is very unified. I think we are working to… ultimately we want to be able to work closely with the FIA. I think everyone – all of us – want to work together and make the sport better,” he said. “Of course, we’ve faced a bit of an uphill challenge in that communication over time. Ultimately, we don’t hold a power seat at the table, and that needs to change, in my opinion. If you look at other sports that have unions, that may be something that comes into play at some stage. As I said, we don’t want to control things – we just want to collaborate more and have our voices heard.”