Lewis Hamilton could ‘call’ Sebastian Vettel to fix key issue at Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton may turn to Sebastian Vettel for advice as he struggles to adapt to Ferrari’s 2025 Formula 1 car, believes former Scuderia mechanic Francesco Cigarini.

Hamilton has endured a difficult start to life at Maranello, culminating in a self-critical “useless” remark at the Hungarian Grand Prix that raised fresh questions about his mindset and future.

After leaving Mercedes at the end of last season, the Briton initially went with his own set-up with the SF-25, but gradually moved closer to the direction taken by teammate Charles Leclerc as the European leg of the season began.

Leclerc prefers to have his car built for heavy oversteer, but that leaves the car prone to rear sliding, which in turn can lead to higher tyre degradation.

Hamilton himself is aware of the issue and revealed in Austria that his predecessor Carlos Sainz needed “a couple of years to get used” to that choice.

Sebastian Vettel to Lewis Hamilton's rescue at Ferrari?

Cigarini believes adopting Leclerc’s set-up preference would be the wrong choice for Hamilton, recalling how Vettel suffered when he tried to mirror Leclerc’s style during their time together in 2019 and 2020.

“Leclerc prefers a very sharply tuned car, with the rear end being very free and requiring a lot of feeling,” he told Sky Sports Italy.

“When Vettel tried to copy that set-up, he ended up looking like a novice. I think that’s exactly what’s happening with Hamilton now.”

The Italian mechanic, who suffered a broken leg when he was run over by Kimi Raikkonen at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2018, expects Hamilton to talk to Vettel over the phone to come up with a solution.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Hamilton calls Vettel to try to wriggle out of this.”

Just a week before his low point in Hungary, Hamilton had defiantly declared that he “refuses” to repeat the failures of Vettel and Fernando Alonso and vowed to win a world title with Ferrari.

Hamilton currently shares the all-time record of seven championships with Michael Schumacher, and an eighth crown would put him clear as F1’s most successful driver.