Lewis Hamilton has issued a stark warning for Scuderia Ferrari after a difficult British Grand Prix: “Elements of this car cannot go into the following year.”

It’s a strong call, particularly considering the fact that Hamilton’s fourth-place finish is still one of his best during the F1 2025 season.

Lewis Hamilton calls for new Ferrari design direction after British GP struggle

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

A win for Lewis Hamilton at the 2025 British Grand Prix — his first proper Grand Prix victory with the legendary Scuderia Ferrari — would have been a real fairytale story. Unfortunately for the seven-time World Champion, the best he could hope for was fourth.

That performance in and of itself was impressive, considering the chaos of the race. Starting from fifth on the grid, Hamilton was able to take advantage of the fact that fourth-placed George Russell pitted after the formation lap to swing up and challenge Lando Norris for third.

That battle didn’t last long, with the pace of the McLaren being too much for the Ferrari. But Hamilton was able to last through the chaos of several safety car periods and drenching rain to come home in fourth place.

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Speaking to media, including PlanetF1.com, after the hectic event, Hamilton concluded that it was a “difficult day, I think, for everybody.

“Not the result that I was hoping for, but I got some points still.

“It was the most difficult car I’ve driven here.”

Many drivers would be over the moon with a fourth-place finish — which once again matches Hamilton’s best performance in the full-length Grand Prix with the Scuderia — but for a driver with such a winning record at Silverstone, it was a disappointment.

Reflecting on the start of the race, where he was able to put pressure on eventual race winner Norris, Hamilton admitted that his ability to challenge didn’t last long.

“Had a chance for Lando into Turn 15; after that I just struggled to keep up,” he admitted.

“The tyres dropped off massively. The car was unbelievably tricky to drive.”

If there’s any positives from the 2025 event at Silverstone, it’s the fact that Hamilton says he “learned a lot today” — even if his findings aren’t exactly promising.

“It’s only my second time driving in the wet in this car, and I can’t even express to you how hard it is,” he told media.

“It’s not a car that likes those conditions. But having lots of data to take from this, I mean, for me, I might have to sit down with the people that are designing the car for next year, because there’s elements of this car that cannot go into the following year.”

Hamilton didn’t elaborate on exactly what features of the car needed tweaking; however, his experience on the grid may bring a critical element of driver direction required for Ferrari to extract the full pace from its upcoming 2026 machine.

Until then, Hamilton will have to be happy with a fourth-place finish and hope to find a way to crack the podium coming into Spa.

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