"Typical negativity about Lewis Hamilton again": Fans react to reports of the Ferrari driver being a second slower than Charles Leclerc

Fans downplayed reports suggesting Lewis Hamilton's slow pace against Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in the SF-25 after their private session at Fiorano Circuit. This was the drivers' first session in the team's 2025 challenger.

With Hamilton moving to Ferrari, there have been many speculations of his performance against Leclerc. The latter has driven for the team since 2019, meanwhile, Hamilton drove for Mercedes for the last decade. While it is understandable that he might take some time to get acquainted with the car, it is currently hard to suggest if he would be faster or slower than his teammate.

Shortly after the team revealed their 2025 challenger, the SF-25 during the F1 75 launch event, they put the cars out to test during a private filming day at Fiorano. While Ferrari has kept the data private, reports from Marca suggested that Lewis Hamilton was 0.8 seconds slower than his teammate Charles Leclerc.

This report was met with a huge backlash on social media. Fans claimed that this private test did not carry enough credibility to compare the drivers as Hamilton is still acquainting himself to the car.

"Typical negativity about Lewis again. Everyone knows he is getting to grips with new machinery compared to charles, who has been there for years now"

"different work program 👎," claimed a user.

"He’s learning the car still. Way different car than Mercedes," wrote a fan.

Some users also mentioned that the reports were misleading, while others wrote that Hamilton was making progress.

"Please disregard. This post is misleading at best, as it portrays misinformation by comparing two completely different events," suggested a user.

"This means nothing," claimed another fan.

"I expected way worse. Keep progress Lewis 👍🏾," a fan encouraged.

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"I'm exactly where I am supposed to be": Lewis Hamilton on Ferrari

Hamilton ended his decade-old partnership with Mercedes by joining Ferrari. He was still on a 1+1 contract when he signed last year, but had an exit clause to make the deal happen.

After officially becoming a driver for the Italian outfit, getting his hands on the older and newer generations of the team's challengers, Lewis Hamilton mentioned that he is "supposed to be" with the team.

"It's a completely new chapter," he said (via F1). "The previous chapters have been as great as they could be. I genuinely feel like I’m exactly where I am supposed to be."

"It feels natural. Just the timing, it couldn’t have been better for me. It’s invigorating to have this new burst of energy."

In a further statement, he also mentioned that Ferrari can win. The team is chasing their first title since the 2008 season with Lewis Hamilton on the hunt for his eighth, and Leclerc for his first.