Lewis Hamilton “complains” about broken promises, finger pointed at Ferrari

Ferrari have been accused of breaking promises made to Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton has endured a myriad of problems since swapping Mercedes for Ferrari this season, and they culminated at the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton called himself ‘useless’ and told Ferrari to change their driver, and even with 24 hours to cool off, he refused to backtrack on his harsh self-assessment.

His increasingly beleaguered interviews have been spotted by Giancarlo Minardi, the founder of the F1 team of the same name.

"From the various interviews I understand that Lewis complains about things that were promised to him, but did not come,” Minardi told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“It is difficult to make judgments, in any case.

“I think Ferrari is looking a little more for Charles Leclerc's direction at the moment."

The suggestion that Ferrari could eventually prioritise Leclerc’s feedback for the SF-25 was first mooted by Ralf Schumacher.

There is little doubt that Leclerc has far greater command of Ferrari’s F1 car after the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he qualified on pole position then finished fourth, missing the podium due to an odd technical issue.

Lewis Hamilton backed to race on despite retirement claims

Leclerc has been named as a key contributor to Hamilton’s difficulties.

"According to the pre-season proclamations, I expected something more,” Minardi said.

“I thought Ferrari was aiming for technical continuity, after coming close to victory in the constructors' championship in 2024, but that was not the case.

“As for Hamilton, it must be emphasized that after so many years in the same team it is not easy to change the working method, the language. And he also found a very fast teammate…

"I think the statements made in Hungary, which many criticised but I find a great driver, were to underline the level of Leclerc, who had put a car on pole with which he had not gone beyond 12th place.”

Hamilton has even been urged to retire by Bernie Ecclestone, among others.

Minardi disagreed: "It is ungenerous to say that he is a rider at the end of his career, when he had the opportunities he showed that he still knows how to do important things.

“What exactly is happening only at Ferrari is known. It will be a crucial topic between now and the end of the season: we must prevent him from going elsewhere to show that he still has something to give."

Hamilton has been backed to race on, even though voices such as Martin Brundle’s have questioned if he can cope with two more years of difficulty.

“If you don't feel like fighting anymore, you retire,” Minardi said.

“If you still go on the track it is because you are convinced that you can still make a difference.”

Hamilton has the summer break to reflect before the F1 Dutch Grand Prix.