Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari driver clarifies 'useless' self-assessment and sets target from Dutch GP as F1 season resumes
Lewis Hamilton had said Ferrari "probably need to change driver" at the last race; Hamilton returns after summer break and vows to make sure he doesn't forget to enjoy F1 as "I love this sport"; watch Dutch GP practice live from 11.30am on Friday on Sky Sports F1
Friday 29 August 2025 11:02, UK
Lewis Hamilton says the harsh self-criticism he dished out at the Hungarian Grand Prix is "obviously not truly how I feel" and that he is focused on "getting back to enjoying my job" from this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix.
Hamilton declared he was "useless" and suggested that Ferrari "probably need to change driver" immediately after he had qualified 12th at the Hungaroring, on a day team-mate Charles Leclerc claimed a stunning pole position.
The seven-time champion went on to finish in the same position in the race, outside the points.
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But one month on and after three full weeks without racing during F1's summer break, Hamilton said on the sport's return at Zandvoort on Thursday that having the chance to "completely unplug" since Hungary represented a "restart moment".
And on his downbeat comments, he said: "Firstly, in the heat of the moment that can happen to anyone.
"It's obviously not truly how I feel.
"I haven't worked with anyone during this break. I've just been with family, been with my niece and nephew, with (his dog) Roscoe. It's been great.
"I've enjoyed being away and being able to unplug. And then just bring myself back to my core, that's how I've always done it - with lots of meditation and just finding gratitude in every single day and realigning yourself to your core beliefs.
"They've always been there, and I will use those moving forwards."
Hamilton said he was "excited to be back" and "I just want to get going" for the final 10 races of his turbulent debut Ferrari season, while also clarifying he had not considered stepping away from the sport in the wake of Hungary.
"The break came at a perfect time," he added.
"During that time was enough for me to be able to reset.
"We go into the second half, which is going to be tough, but I've got the whole team behind, and I'm confident we'll make progress in the second half of the season."
Determined Hamilton vows to rediscover 'fun' of F1
With 10 races left in his much-scrutinised first season in red, Hamilton said that "right now it's about calming some things down and just focusing on getting back to enjoying my job". He added that "I'm going to kind of drown out all the noise".
Speaking to the written media at Zandvoort, he added: "I feel determined to, and motivated.
"We're going to work hard, keep our heads down, try to change a few things in our approach and start to enjoy ourselves.
"There's been so much pressure in this first half of the season, it's not been the most enjoyable, so I think just remembering that we love what we do, we're all in this together and yeah, we're trying to have some fun."
Asked where the pressure comes from, Hamilton said: "Ultimately to get on top of everything, the amount of work we have, all the new partners, the amount of shoots we've done, getting integrated into a new team - and it's a big team.
"It's the biggest brand in our sport. A combination of all those different things has been a lot."
Hamilton's arrival at Ferrari from Mercedes in January represented the biggest and highest-profile driver transfer in F1 history, with the union marrying up the sport's most successful driver with its most successful team.
But, an early-season victory in the China Sprint aside, Hamilton's first year at Ferrari has proved difficult - with no podium finishes in the year's first 14 races. And while Ferrari remain the only one of F1's leading four teams without a Grand Prix victory in 2025, Leclerc has still been on the podium five times.
On the importance of having fun amid the attempt to find a breakthrough on track, Hamilton said: "It's probably the most important part because that's the reason I got into this sport. It was fun for me, and I think for anyone, whatever career you're in, if you're not enjoying what you're doing, then why are you doing it?
"There can often be so much noise, you can lose sight of what's really, really important, so that's what I'm saying, I just really want to focus on getting back to that enjoyment.
"I joined the team that I've always dreamed of driving for, and there's been so much noise around that it's kind of clouded us from getting to enjoy it, so now it's about kind of moving those things aside, and just getting back to focussing on the pure love of what we do."
Consecutive fourth-placed finishes at the Austrian and British Grands Prix had appeared to give Hamilton's year some belated momentum but qualifying nightmares at the two subsequent races, Belgium and Hungary, meant he entered the summer break on a low note.
However, despite his problems and challenges of 2025 with Ferrari's car so far, Hamilton insists he still sees "a lot of potential".
"There's a lot of positives to take from the first half of the season, even though it didn't look necessarily the most positive," he added.
"There's lots of positives to take from it which we'll take forward and try and build on that."
Russell, Alonso back Hamilton to turn form around
Two of Hamilton's former team-mates, George Russell and Fernando Alonso, believe the Ferrari driver still has plenty to offer in F1.
Russell, who outperformed Hamilton in their last year together at Mercedes in 2024, said of his compatriot's Budapest remarks: "Of course, he's talking nonsense when he says something like that because he's the greatest driver of all time, I think.
"A situation like that, when you go from the race track and you're in front of the media within 10 minutes, you have all of these emotions. When you have a bad day, that's how you feel, when you have a good day everything changes.
"He's still an exceptional driver. He obviously won the Sprint straight away at the start of the year in China, he's obviously still got it. But Formula 1 is not an easy sport, especially if the team is not performing at the highest level. That compounds the issue. Of course, Charles is an amazing driver too.
"I think right now, 14 races down, probably every driver bar two is looking forward to 2026 for a fresh opportunity to fight for a championship, and for someone like Lewis that's what he sort of lives for, not just getting in the points."
Alonso, who at 44 is the only driver older than the 40-year-old Hamilton on the grid, said: "From the outside you never know for sure what is going on, but Lewis doesn't need to prove anything. He is an incredible driver and he will figure out sooner or later to be at the top pace.
"He and Ferrari will always be a combo that you need to respect a lot."
Sky Sports F1's Dutch GP schedule
Friday August 29
9.05am: F1 Academy Practice 1
11am: Dutch Grand Prix Practice One (session starts at 11:30am)*
1.30pm: Team principals' press conference
2.45pm: Dutch Grand Prix Practice Two (session starts at 3pm)*
4.25pm: F1 Academy Practice 2
5.20pm: The F1 Show
Saturday August 30
9.20am: F1 Academy Qualifying
10.05am: Dutch Grand Prix Practice Three (session starts at 10:30am)*
1pm: Dutch Grand Prix Qualifying build-up
2pm: DUTCH GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
4pm: F1 Academy Race 1
Sunday August 31
9.35am: F1 Academy Race 2
10.50am: Porsche Supercup Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Dutch GP build-up
2pm: The DUTCH GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Dutch GP reaction
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 returns after the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime
