Hamilton, year 2 with Ferrari
The arrival of Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari had sparked enthusiasm and expectations. However, the first 12 months in Maranello suffered from a slow car, often the fourth force, and a harmony with a new environment more difficult than expected. The seven-time world champion had to deal with a car far from his technical preferences, characterized by unstable behavior, and to these problems were added the necessary adaptation times to a new working method, internal team management, and the relationship with the pit wall. If you then think that Hamilton in his career has been a formidable cherry on the cake but has rarely been able to drag the team out of the technical swamp, you understand the difficulties of the first year at Ferrari, characterized by zero podiums.
The 2026 Hamilton started with a completely different mindset, hoping that Ferrari would find the right key to interpret the new technical cycle. Sir Lewis expresses himself more naturally on an SF-26 that “feels more like his own” and in a team marked by profound changes both technically and humanly. The results are indeed better than in 2025 (the first podium in red arrived in Shanghai) and, although they are not yet those hoped for, they give confidence to #44.
Hamilton’s words
“I really feel good. It took a long time with the team to find a balance, on both sides, and last year was a difficult season with a car we were not developing,” this is Hamilton’s comment in Miami.
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“We have made so many changes both within the team and in the way we operate in the factory, and it’s as if we have never been so in sync in terms of collaboration,” he added. “Maybe there are a couple of commitments with sponsors too many, but otherwise it’s really going well.”
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