Hamilton at Ferrari: The Red Dream Turns into Nightmare and Team Orders.

Lewis Hamilton's arrival at Ferrari promised a new golden era. However, what we've seen so far is a red-tinged nightmare, with an unrecognizable seven-time champion and team orders that reek of humiliation.

Lewis Hamilton's debut season with Ferrari has so far been a "new low" in his illustrious career. At the recent Spanish Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion finished a lowly sixth, but more significantly, he again finished behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc, who managed a third. To add insult to injury, Hamilton was overtaken in the closing laps by Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg, a fact that underlines the difficulty he is experiencing with the performance of his car. His only "bright light" so far this season was a sprint race win in China, an achievement that was, however, overshadowed by a double disqualification in the main Grand Prix the following day. His best race result to date has been a fourth place at Imola, far from the expectations that his signing generated.

Hamilton's complaints about the car are persistent. He has stated that his car was "unbalanced" and that the race in Spain was "the worst race I've ever experienced, in terms of balance." The most controversial and symbolic aspect of his difficult adaptation was the team order he received in the opening laps of the Spanish Grand Prix: Hamilton was asked to let Leclerc pass, who was "much faster" at the time. This directive is a clear indication of an internal hierarchy being established at Ferrari, where the British champion is no longer the undisputed lead driver. Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has attempted to defend Hamilton, pointing out that he drove 70% of the race ahead of Russell and that the problem was with the car in the final stint. However, Vasseur declined to provide specific details about the nature of the SF-25's problem, fueling speculation.

The comparison with Leclerc is inevitable, and unfavorable for Hamilton. Leclerc is 23 points ahead of Hamilton in the drivers' standings, suggesting the Monegasque is extracting more performance from the same car. This situation contrasts sharply with Hamilton's era of dominance at Mercedes, where he was the undisputed lead driver and rarely found himself in the position of having to give way to a teammate.