In many cultures, seven is a number symbolizing luck, a spiritual opposite of the unlucky thirteen. For a while, it was also lucky for Lewis Hamilton. After all, he became only the second Formula One driver, after the legendary Michael Schumacher, in history to win seven world championships. However, recently, the number seems to be haunting him, and not in the best way.
In 2020, Hamilton was ecstatic when he won the World Drivers’ Championship for the seventh time in his career. It occurred during the rainy Turkish Grand Prix and marked a historic event in the sport’s history. The driver was hungry for more. Yes, he had equaled Schumacher’s record, but with that done, he wanted to go a step further; he wanted to beat him. So began his chase for the eighth championship.
2021 was a painful season for Hamilton. He came incredibly close to winning the historic eighth, but missed out on it in the last race of the season, after one of the most controversial moments in the history of Formula One. Afterwards, Mercedes’ cars weren’t quick enough for him to battle the rapid Red Bull of Max Verstappen.
So, year after year, Hamilton had to watch his dream slipping further and further away. In 2025, he moved to Ferrari, eager to begin an adventure with a new team. While only time will tell whether he will come to regret the decision, one thing is sure: he won’t become the champion this year. He is stuck at seven WDCs, unable to grasp the coveted eight.
In 2025, Ferrari hasn’t been performing as well as the Tifosi may have hoped. It is still one of the top teams, which hasn’t changed, but it is often stuck in the third or fourth row, unable to fight with the winning McLarens. Because of that, Hamilton finds himself seventh (or somewhere in its vicinity) much more often than he’d like. Sometimes he qualifies in P7, like he did in Monaco or before the sprint in Miami. Sometimes he finishes behind six other drivers, which the fans could see as recently as in Belgium. On other occasions, he oscillates around the place, unable to move forward.
While for many drivers finishing anywhere around P7 is a great result, it is quite a disappointing result for Hamilton, a man used to winning. Especially when he can see his teammate consistently managing better results. Of course, no one expects to see the mediocre SF-25 triumph over the McLarens, but Charles Leclerc’s results prove that seven is not the limit.
Is this the sign of Hamilton’s decline? It would be easy to say yes and move on to other matters, but the truth is: it’s too early to tell. He might be getting beaten by his teammate, but he’s still getting used to the car that doesn’t seem to be the easiest to tame. On top of that, he is competing with one of Formula One’s current biggest talents. By all metrics, he still deserves a bit of leniency when it comes to his results. Especially when he can still provide races like the one in Belgium, an incredible performance even if it did end with P7.
Of course, there is no real curse hanging over one of the best Formula One drivers of all time. Hamilton’s seven related problems are entirely coincidental and not career-defining. After all, when he retires, he will undoubtedly be remembered for the hundreds of firsts, seconds, and thirds. Maybe when he sees another dreaded P7, though, he shudders a bit harder than when he finishes eighth.
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