'Demolished' Lewis Hamilton not wanted at Ferrari according to '90 percent disagreed' claim

Lewis Hamilton's difficult start at Ferrari has drawn sharp criticism from former Scuderia driver Arturo Merzario, who believes the seven-time F1 drivers' champion is feeling "demolished" by his new team.

The 82-year-old offered a damning assessment of Hamilton's 2025 campaign, suggesting the Briton's arrival at Maranello was little more than a "commercial move" that has backfired.

Their first half-season (or so) together culminated in the underwhelming performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Hamilton called himself "useless" after qualifying P12, compared with Charles Leclerc, who took pole.

His self-criticism did not stop there, and he went as far as to suggest Ferrari ought to "change driver" in a bid to improve results.

"I think his outburst was ironic in some respects," Merzario told La Gazzetta dello Sport, referring to Hamilton's comments at the Hungaroring.

"Certainly, his position was not what one would expect from a seven-time world champion. Rather, it seems to me that Lewis is feeling 'demolished' by Ferrari."

The performance gap between him and his team-mate has been noteworthy, particularly when comparing their head-to-head record; Leclerc leads qualifying 10-4 and grand prix results 11-2 (it would have been 12-2 had it not been for their double disqualification in China).

And through 14 races, Hamilton has failed to secure a podium, with Leclerc consistently outperforming him. The Monegasque driver has reached the rostrum five times in that span.

Merzario, who raced for the Scuderia in the 1970s, believes the appointment was fundamentally misguided.

"Firstly, in my opinion, Hamilton's arrival at Maranello was a commercial move," he stated. "Ninety percent of Ferrari insiders disagreed, at least as far as I know."

Merzario ultimately believes that much of the performance deficit is the consequence of a lack of motivation. 

"When a driver doesn't feel valued or an integral part of the team in achieving a goal, he loses motivation," he explained. "Why go crazy to gain three tenths while still remaining in the third row?"

Despite his harsh assessment, Merzario hasn't completely written off Hamilton's Ferrari chapter, suggesting the Briton is playing a longer game.

"It's not over," he insisted. "He'll only take risks when necessary, not for an eighth position."

The former Ferrari driver highlighted how the 105-time grand prix winner has proven himself in F1 already, something Leclerc has yet to do.

"Also, because if he ever wanted to leave, he would find another team," he added. "Hamilton has already shown what he's worth.

"He's not in Leclerc's situation: Charles still has to prove he's a champion."