Juan Pablo Montoya has weighed in on Lewis Hamilton’s position at Ferrari, arguing that the culture at Ferrari is political and doesn’t align with the way Hamilton has been used to operating within a race-winning team. Montoya, a former driver for Williams and McLaren, believes that despite Hamilton’s hard work, his work ethic does not align with the overall operation at the historic team.
This comes after frustration from the seven-time World Champion following poor performances in Belgium and Hungary, where he was unable to qualify his Ferrari in Q3. Hamilton has struggled within the team since the start of the season, despite solid performance from Charles Leclerc, who took pole position at the Hungaroring.
Lewis Hamilton is used to the way Mercedes operates
In an interview at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton called himself “useless”, suggesting that Ferrari should find another driver to partner Leclerc. This fuelled rumours that Hamilton is unhappy with the way Ferrari is approaching development, differing from the way Mercedes handles poor performance.
Montoya said: “There is a lot of tradition in Ferrari and a lot of politics in Ferrari, and I think Lewis is more used to Mercedes’ outlook, which is, ‘What do we need to do to win?’
“It’s not about politics; it’s about results at Mercedes.”
🤗| Charles Leclerc remains optimistic for Lewis Hamilton following a devastating Hungary weekend:
“Obviously this weekend has been a tough one for Lewis, but I have no doubt it’s a one-off, and I’m sure the second part of the season will be a lot more positive.”
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— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) August 4, 2025
The performance gap has been amplified between Hamilton and Leclerc, despite Hamilton’s dedication to the 2026 car. Hamilton told the media that he is working closely with various departments at Ferrari to understand the car and push for development under the new regulations next season.
Montoya believes that Hamilton’s frustration is warranted
Hamilton joined Ferrari after an era of dominance with Mercedes between 2014 and 2021 that saw him claim six driver titles and eight Constructors’ titles. Montoya has made it clear that Ferrari needs to listen to the 7-time World Champion if they want to return to race wins.
Inside Hamilton’s Rocky Ferrari Start: Why the 7-Time Champion Needs Time to Find His Feet
“I think that his statement is not a sign of a meltdown. It’s a way of telling Ferrari, if you’re not going to listen to me, then you might as well take me out.The big thing here is Lewis is not getting the attention he wants. I think he’s working really hard, but I think Ferrari is very structured in the way it does things.
“Lewis is going: ‘Your way doesn’t win!'”
With Hamilton stating that he wants his “DNA” in Ferrari’s 2026 challenger, will we see a compromise between the team and the British driver?
