Lewis Hamilton has described Ferrari’s 2025 Formula 1 braking performance as a “lottery,” revealing ongoing difficulties in adapting to the team’s Brembo brake system as he aims to mount a competitive challenge at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
In just his seventh race weekend since switching from Mercedes to Ferrari, Hamilton admitted that brake consistency has been a major hurdle—one that resurfaced during Friday’s free practice sessions at Imola.
The day began with promise. In Free Practice 1, Hamilton felt comfortable in the SF-25, with positive signs that Ferrari had taken a step forward in car setup.
“P1 was good. I was really, really happy with the car in P1. I felt like we had made a step forward and I was feeling really positive,” Hamilton said.
But that optimism faded fast. By FP2, the seven-time world champion found himself battling a sudden shift in brake performance. The car behaved differently despite what Hamilton described as “tiny” setup changes—raising fresh concerns about predictability.
“I’ve literally changed two of the tiniest things that shouldn’t have had barely any effect at all,” Hamilton continued. “The smallest change we’ve done this year. We had some brake issues that made a massive difference, so that was a fight with that.”
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Brake feel problems limit Hamilton confidence
The shift from Mercedes’ Carbon Industrie braking system to Ferrari’s Brembo components has proven more challenging than expected. While Ferrari’s brake supplier is a trusted name across the grid, Hamilton says he’s struggling with unpredictable results from one set to another.
“That’s been quite a big issue all year actually. I’ve never experienced that before. So that’s a new thing for me this year,” Hamilton explained.
Hamilton was quick to stress that it’s not about adjusting to a new system, but rather dealing with inconsistent performance from brake set to brake set.
“It’s not the transition, it’s the performance… It’s a lottery,” Hamilton said when asked about the braking issue. “We roll the dice and you put one [set of brakes] on and it works and you put another on and it doesn’t. So I hope tomorrow we figure something out. We’re working on it, for sure.”
With Imola being a circuit where late braking and traction play a critical role, Ferrari will need to address this issue quickly if Hamilton is to challenge the front-runners in qualifying and race day.
Despite the brake inconsistencies, Hamilton remains optimistic that Ferrari can find a solution—particularly with more track time coming in Saturday’s FP3 session before the afternoon’s qualifying showdown.
