5 uneasy statistics that show how horribly the Lewis Hamilton-Ferrari partnership has begun

When Lewis Hamilton made his first public appearance at Ferrari's home at Maranello, it broke the internet. The most successful driver with the most iconic team is a combination that nobody can ignore. In terms of marketing and attention, it caught everyone's eye. Everyone was talking about it and excited about Hamilton's debut with Ferrari. Well, two races into this partnership, and the entire thing has been nothing short of a disaster.

A partnership that had everyone on the edge of their seat has been a bit of a dud for now. It's safe to say that most of it does not have to do with Lewis Hamilton. The driver can only do so much with the tools that they have. With that being said, we win and lose as a team, right? The start has not been ideal. How bad? Well, here are a few unfortunate stats that show the extent of misery at the start of this partnership.

---

#1 Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari debut was the second worst by a driver in the 21st century

Arguably one of the more sobering moments is the realisation that Lewis Hamilton's debut result with Ferrari at Melbourne was a P10. In the 21st century, when we compare debuts of drivers with the Italian team, the British driver's finish was better than just one driver, Luca Badoer. In case the new fans don't know, Badoer was Ferrari's test driver who had been part of the squad for decades and was ushered into the team in mid-2009 as a replacement for Felipe Massa, who had been injured.

The Italian driver had a torrid run for a handful of races where he was lapping around at the back of the grid and had a poor overall record. Other than that, every other driver who debuted for Ferrari had a better result than Lewis Hamilton in the 21st century.

#2 Esteban Ocon is the highest-ranked driver in a Ferrari-engined car

We're two races into the season, and it might astound you that the highest-ranked driver in a Ferrari-engined car is neither Charles Leclerc nor Lewis Hamilton. It is Esteban Ocon. The French driver got a P5 in China and now has 10 points to his name. Compare that to the tally of the Ferrari duo, and neither of them has reached double digits.

#3 Ferrari went from dominating Australia last season to getting outclassed in 2025

This one should hurt Ferrari the most because, unlike Red Bull, who went through a drastic mid-season slump in 2024 and had to completely change course, Ferrari did not have to do any such thing. The Italian team ended the 2024 F1 season on par with McLaren, and then coming into the 2025 season, the car is nowhere. Serious questions need to be asked of Ferrari about what happened here because there has been a serious drop in performance for the team.

#4 Worst start to a season in the ground effect era

The ground effect era has been more or less decent for Ferrari, where even though the team has not essentially fought for titles, it has been very close to the start. The 2022 F1 season started with a win, the 2023 season had a few top 5 results, and in 2024, there were a few podiums.

The 2025 F1 season has had none of that. There hasn't even been a sniff of a win in either of the races. Lewis Hamilton's sprint was nice, and it was surely a feel-good moment. It wasn't a race, however. The Grand Prix results have been horrible at best, and as a result, Ferrari is down at P5 in the championship standings, even behind Williams.

#5 No top 5 finishes

When Lewis Hamilton joined Ferrari, it was a team that was second in the championship last season. This team almost won the last season after multiple victories and pole positions were achieved throughout the year. The team he is currently a part of has not had a single top 5 finish this year.

It doesn't appear to be a viable contender against McLaren. Neither Lewis Hamilton nor Charles Leclerc have even had a chance to fight at the sharp end. The downfall and underperformance have been drastic, to say the least.