Lewis Hamilton's remarkable run of 12 consecutive podium finishes at Silverstone came to an end on Sunday as he finished fourth at the 2025 British Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion crossed the line behind race winner Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Nico Hulkenberg, who claimed his first ever podium from 19th on the grid.
Hamilton endured a challenging afternoon at his home circuit, struggling with an unstable Ferrari in wet-dry conditions whilst also falling victim to poor strategic decisions from his team.
The 40-year-old driver was vocal in his criticism of both the car's handling characteristics and the team's race management.
The wet conditions left both Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles LeClerc in disappointing positions
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His team-mate Charles Leclerc fared even worse, finishing 14th after making an ill-fated decision to switch to slick tyres following the formation lap.
Hamilton was scathing in his assessment of the Ferrari's performance in the challenging conditions.
"The car was really, really hard to drive," he complained. "It just has no stability. So you go to corner, and it's snapping, snapping, snapping, snapping. It just won't stay still and that makes it so difficult."
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Lewis Hamilton lamented the car as 'really hard to drive
Sky Sports
The British driver described the experience as "the worst feeling" when speaking to Sky Sports F1.
"When it's constantly snapping you just have no confidence. The ultimate goal is to try and build up confidence in the car and get faster and faster over time," he explained.
"It's like building a wall and then knocking it down. When you can't build that confidence you're not really going anywhere. You're kind of in no man's land. That's how I felt for most of the race."
Hamilton's difficulties were exacerbated by strategic missteps throughout the race.
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His first pit stop when rain arrived after 11 laps saw him plummet from fourth to eighth position, leaving him trapped behind the Haas of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly's Alpine for multiple laps.
"We lost time and a lot of places through strategy," Hamilton said. "I'm not really sure how I was P4 and came out P8. That made life very difficult."
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur later disclosed that their GPS system had failed after 10 laps, forcing the team to make decisions "blind" without knowing Hamilton's track position.
The team's decision to bring Hamilton in early for slick tyres backfired when he lost approximately five seconds in the opening two corners after the stop.
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Lewis Hamilton is yet to record a podium finish for Ferrari since his switch at the start of the season
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Hamilton reflected on the positives from the weekend, noting his strong performance in practice sessions.
"I think what's positive this weekend is that in practice I was right there. I was much more happy with the car balance in the dry," he said.
Looking ahead, the veteran driver emphasised the importance of addressing the car's fundamental issues, saying: "I feel like I know how to explain to the team what I don't want built in next year's car.
"What we have right now makes it so difficult to drive, particularly in these conditions."
Hamilton confirmed Ferrari has upgrades planned for upcoming races following the new floor introduced in Austria.
He stressed his desire for "a consistent balance, a car that turns at a low speed, just a more stable car".
Leclerc's race proved equally challenging, with the Monégasque driver admitting he was "really nowhere" throughout, struggling to keep the car on track.
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