'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Lewis Hamilton fans have reacted sceptically to the British driver's claims that a faulty part on his Ferrari has cost him 0.1 seconds each lap during the first three races of the 2025 F1 season. The 7x world champion made this claim after the Japanese Grand Prix and also shared that teammate Charles Leclerc is not suffering from the same problem.
Hamilton revealed that he was losing a tenth a lap throughout the season so far due to an issue with his Ferrari after an underwhelming outing at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan on Sunday. The 40-year-old finished seventh while his teammate Charles Leclerc, finished just outside the podium positions in P4.
Fan account @fiagirly posted the clip of Hamilton claiming the same after the race on Sunday via X:
"We found something on the car that has been underperforming for the last three races, so I'm really hoping when that's fixed, [to see] how we start getting better results. But yeah I'm losing just over a tenth a lap with this issue we have," said Hamilton. "When the newer component comes, hopefully, it'll be gone and it'll be the same across cars." he added.
Trending
Upon hearing this, F1 fans on social media shared a mixed reaction, with many of them questioning Hamilton over blaming his car and team this early on in the season.
"Sabotage ? 😅", asked one fan.
"Bro starting the sabotage accusations early this year. He waited until Monaco last year at least," said another fan.
"Is it really the car at this point? He been blaming the car since 2022. He gonna get the upgrades and still not perform," said yet another fan.
While the majority of fans questioned the validity of Hamilton's claims, there were a few fans who shared their frustrations about the 7x world champion's problems.
"it’s like mercedes all over again," said one fan.
"oh ffs," said another fan.
"A tenth a lap is lot over a race distance, could be the difference between 7th and 5th this weekend," said another user.
Lewis Hamilton started the Japanese GP from P8 after a poor qualifying performance on Saturday. He was only able to make one place during the race on Sunday, as he overtook Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar and subsequently finished the race P7.
Lewis Hamilton apologized to Ferrari over the team radio after the Japanese Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton apologized to his Ferrari team after the Japanese Grand Prix, claiming he had no pace in the car during the race. The Briton also shared that he was grateful about the team pushing to improve the car and said that the upcoming race will be better.
X account @simsgazette posted the clip of Hamilton coming over the team radio after the end of the race on Sunday:
"Sorry for that result guys. Didn't have the pace today, but I'm grateful you're continuing to push. Next race will be better," said Hamilton.
Hamilton's race engineer, Riccardo Adami, then replied, thanking the Briton for his efforts while also sharing that the car may have been "overbalanced", as Ferrari apparently looked to protect the front tires with their race setup.
