Max Verstappen shares his honest opinion on Lewis Hamilton's struggles at Ferrari

Max Verstappen has commented on Lewis Hamilton's underwhelming first season with Ferrari in 2025. For the first time in his 19-year F1 career, the seven-time champion found himself out of contention for podiums, let alone race wins.

Hamilton hasn't seemed like the same championship-winning driver in the ground-effect era (2022 onwards) after his controversial 2021 title loss to Verstappen. However, the blame wasn't entirely his to shoulder, because Mercedes didn't ace this technical era as the one before.

Moreover, the Briton's shift to Ferrari turned out to be counter-productive. 2025 effectively became a write-off after the Frederic Vasseur-led team turned off development of this year's car in April to focus on the 2026 regulations reset.

Max Verstappen, who scripted a near-historic championship comeback in the second half of the season with Red Bull, addressed his 2021 rival's dire state at Ferrari and if the Briton would continue racing next year. In an interview with Viaplay, the four-time F1 champion said:

"It hasn't been a nice season for him at Ferrari, you notice that with everything."

When the interviewer interjected to say "it hurts my heart," Verstappen replied:

"To be honest, it hurts mine as well. it's not nice to see. Retire? I don't know. He doesn't give up, so he'll definitely be there [next year]. But it's not nice to see.''

Though Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton's fanbases don't usually get along on social media, the two champions have always been respectful to each other, barring disagreements over on-track incidents.

Lewis Hamilton's praiseful message for Max Verstappen and Red Bull for 2025 turnaround

Lewis Hamilton with Max Verstappen at the F1 Monaco Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Max Verstappen cemented himself as the driver to beat after outclassing Lewis Hamilton, who was on the verge of a record-breaking eighth title, in 2021. The then-Mercedes driver barely had any rivals after the introduction of the turbo-hybrid, where Mercedes' power unit propelled him to the top.

Then emerged Verstappen, who did the unthinkable and became world champion at the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, albeit under controversial circumstances. Cut to 2025, the Dutchman found himself on the losing side of the championship battle against McLaren.

However, with Red Bull, he steered them back on track in the second half of the season to overcome a 104-point deficit. After the Qatar GP on December 2, which Verstappen won to surpass Oscar Piastri in the standings, Lewis Hamilton showered praise on his 2021 title rival.

"Well, we all know Max does a great job," Hamilton said via Motorsport. "I think he's got a phenomenal team behind him, which, there's no denying they've had the best car over the last four years. And maybe less so at the beginning of this year, but they somehow came back. He's obviously got a great car, but he does an amazing job with it, so I can't fault him."

2026 will be a complete unknown for all teams, with F1's regulations reset incoming. Mercedes is expected to have the best power units, while Aston Martin, the best overall package (or growing to the best by 2027) under Adrian Newey's technical leadership.

Both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton could find themselves playing second fiddle to those teams, and possibly reigning champions, McLaren.