Lewis Hamilton facing 'backwards race' after major Ferrari concern aired

Former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has warned that Lewis Hamilton risks facing a "backwards race" if his confidence is starting to wane at Ferrari. 

It has been a challenging start to life with the Maranello-based team for Hamilton, who has consistently been slower than Charles Leclerc. 

Adjusting to the SF-25 has taken longer for the seven-time F1 champion than many expected. Crucially, there was a six-tenths of a second deficit to Leclerc in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Following Hamilton's surprise China sprint pole and win, it was assumed he would build on that platform, only for the opposite to occur. 

The differences between the SF-25 and what Hamilton was accustomed to at Mercedes have proven difficult to overcome, creating a significant loss of lap time.

Steiner is becoming concerned by the 40-year-old's lack of speed, although he is confident he will work hard to resolve the issues.

When asked if Hamilton's pace difference to Leclerc was becoming a concern, Steiner told the Red Flags podcast: "It is slowly becoming a concern. 

"I'm more concerned about what he thinks when he's asking about where he loses time. The engineer can tell you where you're losing time, but for sure, he cannot make you understand why you're losing it. That's down to you. 

"And the worst thing would be if Lewis is losing his confidence, because then it will be a backwards race. It is a concern, in my opinion. 

"They will work on it, and Lewis will be the first one to work on it. How they get out [of it], I have no idea."