What Lewis Hamilton did after suffering ‘worst year’ speaks volumes amid current Ferrari struggles

Lewis Hamilton's struggles at Ferrari have increased in recent weeks - but the seven-time world champion might take inspiration from what he did after suffering his 'worst year' in the sport.

Hamilton described himself as 'useless' after qualifying in 12th place for the Hungarian Grand Prix - and even claimed that Ferrari should consider replacing him.

Watching his team-mate Charles Leclerc take pole position will have no doubt been a concern for Hamilton, even if the true pace of the Ferrari ultimately told on race day and the Monegasque driver slipped to fourth place.

The seven-time world champion is under contract at the Scuderia for 2026 and there is no indication that the Brit will not fulfil it.

Formu1a.uno report that Hamilton has a 'secret' clause in his contract that allows him certain technical guarantees ahead of the 2026 season, where sweeping new engine regulations will be introduced.

Lewis Hamilton has picked up 109 points from 14 Grands Prix this season (Image: Getty)

It is rare that Hamilton has found himself in a position where he is so far behind his team-mate in the Drivers' Championship standings.

Leclerc is 42 points ahead of the 40-year-old after 14 of 24 races, and holds comfortable advantages in the head-to-head battles for qualifying and races.

That advantage is one point fewer than his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button held over him in the 2011 season.

Hamilton won three races that season but only finished ahead of Button twice in the final nine Grands Prix.

The pair clashed in the early laps of a rain-soaked Canadian Grand Prix, a race which Button went on to win while Hamilton was forced to retire.

Hamilton also, bizarrely, collided with Ferrari's Felipe Massa on five different occasions that season, with their incident at the Indian Grand Prix causing him to finish over a minute behind his team-mate.

By the sixth race of the season in Monaco, the 2008 champion had been called in to see the stewards five times - something he described as an 'absolute frickin' joke'.

There were also question marks raised over his new management team, with Hamilton deciding at the beginning of the season that he would no longer be represented by his father, Anthony.

He told reporters in October: "He [Anthony] said, 'As long as you're happy, then I'm happy'. I think he is just a concerned father, which is normal."

Then, after finishing in second place in the Korean Grand Prix, he said: "I've had the worst year. If you expect me to be all happy-doolally after a race like that, you're not going to hear it."

The 2012 season, then, was gearing up to be a pivotal one for Hamilton.

In true style, he responded - first by finishing ahead of Button in five out of the opening seven races, winning his first Grand Prix of the campaign at Canada.

Lewis Hamilton won his first Grand Prix of 2012 in Canada (Image: Getty)

He actually ended up collecting fewer points - 190 compared to 209 - than the 2011 season, but that didn't tell the full story.

Hamilton had six retirements during 2012, suffering two mechanical failures after qualifying on pole position.

He was taken out in the huge multi-car crash at the Belgian Grand Prix by Romain Grosjean, and suffered race-ending damage - again while leading - when he was hit by Nico Hulkenberg at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Brit was 91 points behind championship winner Sebastian Vettel but, with some more luck, could have easily been in contention.

He chased down and overtook the Red Bull driver in the closing laps to win a memorable United States Grand Prix in Austin, again reminding fans of just how good he was.

In September, with his contract due to expire, Hamilton announced he would be leaving McLaren to join Mercedes from the 2013 season - where he would eventually win a further six world titles.

His decision to switch to Mercedes didn't immediately yield results, as the Silver Arrows were not in championship contenders.

But, in circumstances that mirror the present day, they were working hard behind-the-scenes to develop their 2014 car to fit new engine regulations. Hamilton would go on to win his second title that year.

Just like with Merc, Hamilton will hope that his decision to join Ferrari will be vindicated in his second season.