How Lewis Hamilton is preventing ‘perfect Hollywood’ F1 2025 season

From sevens drivers standing on the podium, five securing a pole position and a title fight that could go either way, David Coulthard says it’s been a great F1 season.

The only thing preventing it from being a “perfect Hollywood season” is Lewis Hamilton’s disappointing form.

Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari are the missing ingredient to a ‘perfect Hollywood season’

McLaren and Ferrari went into the F1 2025 championship as the teams tipped to take the fight to Max Verstappen for the World Championship title.

But while McLaren stamped its authority from the very first race of the season when Lando Norris won in Australia, Ferrari, and most notably Hamilton, did not rise to the challenge.

Hamilton has struggled to adapt to the Ferrari F1 car, with the Briton’s early-season complaints about the behaviour of his SF-25 giving way to personal criticism of his own performances.

It came to a head in Hungary when the seven-time World Champion lamented that Ferrari “probably need to change driver” as he was “useless, absolutely useless.”

For Coulthard, Hamilton’s trails have taken the shine off an otherwise brilliant season.

“If you’re a McLaren fan, you’re loving the run that they’re having, but even if you’re a generalist, I think it’s a great season of F1,” the former F1 driver told the official F1 website.

“The closeness of the grid is the thing that’s really impressing me, especially in qualifying. Obviously come race time it opens up a little bit, but I’m just loving how close this season is.

“To have a perfect Hollywood season, we need Ferrari doing a bit more. I know we got the little excitement with Lewis in the Sprint, but they obviously got disqualified on race day.”

F1 2025: The season’s winners and losers

? The results of the F1 2025 championship

? The updated Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship standings

Nonetheless, McLaren is producing a thrilling title fight as momentum swings between Piastri and Norris in the standings.

Norris led the early running with a race win and four successive podiums before Piastri overhauled him with his third win of the season in Saudi Arabia.

It looked as if the Australian could run away with it, only for Norris to pin him back before he again looked to have lost momentum when he crashed into the back of his team-mate in Canada.

But with three wins to his team-mate’s one in the ensuing four races, all of which were 1-2 results, Norris went into the summer break only nine points down.

Coulthard has been impressed with how McLaren has dealt with its drivers in the midst of what will become a more frantic title race.

“I think McLaren have handled it really well. I think both their drivers are on the tamer side of animal than the wilder side of animal, so that probably makes it a little bit easier,” said the Scot.

“But this could also be their only chance to win a World title; we don’t know what 2026 brings, we don’t know what the future is, so you’ve got to seize the moment.

“That’s why I’m really impressed with how Oscar has stepped up this year. But Lando’s response over the last two races is showing his quality as well.

“I think it’s going to be one of those things where both of them deserve it, but only one can get it.”

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