Lewis Hamilton reflects on the challenges of the ground-effect era following his final races with the Ferrari SF-25, calling it the “worst generation” of F1 cars
The relationship between Lewis Hamilton and ground-effect machinery was never destined to flourish. From the 2022 Bahrain GP to the season finale in Abu Dhabi three weeks ago, the seven-time World Champion has struggled like never before to master this specific generation of cars.
Across four seasons—three in Mercedes silver and his final one in Ferrari red—the British driver secured only two victories (Silverstone and Spa in 2024) and a single pole position (Hungaroring 2023).
For the driver holding the record for the most wins and poles in the history of the sport, this represents an exceptionally lean period.
Hamilton’s Verdict: “I Won’t Miss Anything About These Cars”
In a recent interview with Motorsport.com, Lewis reflected on previous regulatory shifts. “2014 was incredibly exciting,” he noted, “mainly because I was with a new team and could see the extraordinary work that had been done a couple of years prior, particularly on the power unit“.
“Reflecting on the SF-25 and the broader ground-effect era, Hamilton didn’t hold back: “2017 was also fantastic because the cars were bigger and wider. They felt more robust, had more downforce—they were mega”.
His assessment of the current era, however, was scathing: “This generation has probably been the worst, I’d say. I won’t miss a single thing about these cars. I pray the next generation isn’t even worse “.
Looking ahead to 2026 finally, Hamilton shared a brief insight into his relationship with the team and the future: “I backed Fred [Vasseur] 100%. I still do; I think it was the right decision. Especially considering the situation we were in with the car—we weren’t fighting for the championship “.
““That simply meant it was harder to maintain performance, at least some of what we had at the start of the year. In my experience, I think everyone stayed really positive, so I didn’t notice any psychological impact “.
Photos: Scuderia Ferrari HP
