Lewis Hamilton offered rare clarity on his feelings following a frustrating Hungarian GP where he finished P12, conceding limited memory of an incident with Max Verstappen and reflecting candidly on prior critical remarks.
Hamilton endured a challenging race in Hungary, starting 12th. Losing places at the start, he recovered, but never ran competitively, failing to match the pace of team-mate Charles Leclerc.
His comments came during a post-race interview with Sky Sports F1, making clear that while the week has been turbulent, his passion remains.
Verstappen incident dismissed quickly
Responding to an inquiry about an on-track tussle with Max Verstappen at Turn 4, later investigated by race stewards, Hamilton drew a blank.
“I don’t really remember it, thanks,” he quickly stated.
The incident involved Verstappen attempting an aggressive move into Turn 4 on lap 30, with Hamilton forced off-track in response. Despite the stewards considering the move, no further action was taken. The two world championship driver’s were fighting for P11 at the time, with Verstappen getting the better on the Prancing Horse.
“Change a driver” comment revisited
Hamilton was next asked about the headline comment he made on Saturday, which suggested that Ferrari should consider changing drivers, a statement widely picked up in the media.
He said, “Not particularly. When you have a feeling, you have a feeling. There’s a lot going on in the background that’s not great.”
The motive behind the sentiment remains emphatically personal and emotional rather than tactical.
Love of racing remains intact
Asked if he had lost his enjoyment of competing amid a difficult debut season with Ferrari, Hamilton simply said,“No, I still love racing.”
That sentiment offers the clearest indication yet that, despite struggles and self-criticism, Hamilton’s core motivation remains unchanged.
Ferrari at Hungary
Hamilton’s race too was tough, coming off a Q2 exit in qualifying, his second straight failure to reach Q3, and starting from 12th, where he eventually finished the Hungarian GP 2025. Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc had claimed pole and finished P4 despite a disappointing strategy.
FIA stewards investigated Verstappen’s move but ultimately cleared him, confirming no contact or driver culpability. Hamilton himself declined to attend the hearing.
Still sixth in standings as summer break begins
As the field heads into the summer break, Hamilton finds himself sixth and 42 points behind teammate Leclerc in the drivers’ standings, with no podiums so far this year. Despite flashes of pace, his frustration points to deeper issues within Ferrari’s infrastructure, issues he admits are weighing on him.
