Nico Rosberg warns Lewis Hamilton ‘could lose the faith’ of Ferrari and Italy if he continues to underperform

Ferrari star Lewis Hamilton has another disappointing qualifying session at the 2025 Abu Dhabi GP. The seven-time F1 champion came out and was downbeat during the post-race interviews. Hamilton’s former teammate, Nico Rosberg, came out and warned the Briton about the Scuderia and Italy losing faith in him.

Lewis Hamilton signed with Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season as he left Mercedes after 12 successful years. The Briton joined Scuderia to win his eighth title and to bring the Maranello-based stable back to glory days. Unfortunately, that has not been the case with his debut season with Ferrari, going downhill.

Hamilton has been struggling in the SF25, with ride height issues plaguing the setups. Despite the rear suspension upgrades, the issues were not resolved. After the Abu Dhabi GP Q1 disqualification, Hamilton became the first Ferrari driver to be eliminated in Q1 three times consecutively.

Speaking about his feelings after the race, Lewis Hamilton said,

“I don’t have the words to describe how I feel inside. It’s an unbearable amount of anger and rage…”

Former F1 driver Nico Rosberg, who beat his former teammate Lewis Hamilton to the 2016 title, detailed how the seven-time F1 champion’s disappointing results will lead to the team losing faith in him.

“It’s very scary from his point of view because soon if it continues like that, the team will lose faith in him, the whole of Italy loses faith in him, and that is not far away anymore,” said Nico Rosberg (via Sky Sports)

Lewis Hamilton missed out on making Q2 by 0.008 seconds and will start the Abu Dhabi GP in P16. The Briton also had a major crash in the FP3 session on Saturday, which required Ferrari to rebuild the car.

“They deserve better”: Lewis Hamilton after Q1 elimination at Abu Dhabi GP

Ferrari star Lewis Hamilton had a major moment in Turn 9 at the 2025 Abu Dhabi GP FP3. A snap of oversteer, the rear bottoming out into the corner, led to Hamilton spinning off into the barrier and bringing out the Red Flag. Speaking with the media after the session, Hamilton said,

“I think most of the lap was good enough to get through, I just didn’t finish it. The team did a mega job [to repair the car]. They deserve better, for sure.”

After the Q1 exit, Hamilton took to the team radio and sighed about the inability to make it to the next session. He said,

“Every time mate, I’m so sorry.”

The long back straight at the Yas Marina circuit does provide the opportunity to overtake, but given Hamilton’s struggles, it’ll be difficult to score big points unless a safety car or Red Flag plays into his hands strategically