Lewis Hamilton urged to be patient at Ferrari: “If anyone can make it work…”

Lewis Hamilton has received the backing of former Williams boss Claire Williams, who believes the seven-time F1 world champion can still “make it work” at Ferrari.

Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari hasn’t lived up to expectations.

The 40-year-old is still without a podium finish in his first 21 races with the team.

Last time out in Sao Paulo was another setback for Hamilton, who retired from the race with significant floor damage.

Hamilton was knocked out in Q2 (and SQ2 in sprint qualifying) before picking up damage after two Lap 1 incidents.

After the race, Hamilton declared that his “dream” of driving for Ferrari had turned into a “nightmare.”

Hamilton - and Ferrari’s poor weekend in Brazil - sparked a remarkable comment from chairman John Elkann.

Elkann called on Hamilton and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc to focus on driving, not talking.

Williams, who was deputy Williams F1 team principal between 2013 and 2020, was asked about Hamilton’s comments following the Sao Paulo GP.

“I think to a degree, but I think we can all probably underestimate how hard it is for a driver to change team,” she said.

“Lewis was at Mercedes for a long, long time, and when he first arrived at Mercedes, that team was kind of new. He was able to shape it in the way that he perhaps wanted to a bit, and he’s now transitioned over to what is a really different team, with a hugely different culture.

“Ferrari, it’s Italian, they’ve got the tifosi. They will have a very different way of doing things. And even someone of Lewis’ calibre and experience is still going to take some time to settle in.

“He wanted to go to Ferrari, inevitably, to fill the childhood dream that I think all Formula 1 drivers have, to wear the red overalls with the prancing horse.”

Hamilton needs “more time”

With Ferrari on course for their worst F1 constructors’ championship finish since 2020, their attention is on next year.

Vastly new technical regulations will give Ferrari a chance to start 2026 strongly.

However, if they deliver a poor engine and car like they did in 2014, it will take several years for them to catch up, giving Hamilton no chance of fighting for another title before the end of his career.

“We’ve just got to, I suppose, give it a bit more time, see what happens going into 2026,” Williams added.

“But, sometimes these moves, they work out, sometimes they don’t. But I suppose if anyone can make it work, it’s probably going to be Lewis Hamilton.”