Lewis Hamilton wrapped up the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with a quiet yet meaningful recovery drive, a performance that still wasn’t enough to redeem what has been a difficult debut season with Ferrari. After the race, the British driver openly admitted the exhaustion of an extremely demanding year and his desire to step away from everything for a while.
Lewis Hamilton built a solid, understated comeback after a disappointing qualifying session that left him starting deep in the pack. Beginning on the soft tyre and quickly climbing to P14, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion made an early pit stop on lap 9 to switch to the hard compound, followed by a second stop on lap 32 to fit the mediums.
It was on the yellow-banded tyre that Lewis Hamilton finally found rhythm and confidence, overtaking rivals and bringing the SF-25 back into the points. His race was free of flashy moments but was marked by consistency and control. He didn’t set any fastest laps, nor did he produce spectacular overtakes, but he managed to extract the potential of the Ferrari and close a season far below expectations in the most respectable way possible. If the objective for this final weekend was simply to finish cleanly, then mission accomplished.
Gp Abu Dhabi, Hamilton congratulates Norris
At the end of the race, during his media interviews, Lewis Hamilton was approached by the newly crowned world champion, Lando Norris. His first words were directed to him: “I’m really, really happy for him. Winning your first World Championship is something incredibly special, and the United Kingdom keeps producing great drivers.”
Lewis Hamilton has won seven world titles, including his first with McLaren back in 2027, and he knows exactly what those emotions feel like. Moments later, he added: “I know very well what it’s like to arrive at this race fighting for your first world title. It’s really nerve-racking.”
And despite joking in Thursday’s press conference that he didn’t want to give advice to his rivals, he did have something to say to Lando: “I told him, coming into the weekend, to keep doing what he’s doing, because it’s working. And that’s exactly what he did.”
Gp Abu Dhabi, Hamilton: “I’m just waiting for the break”
After offering his congratulations, Lewis Hamilton turned his attention to discussing the race and reflecting on his first year with Ferrari. But just as after the final qualifying session, he didn’t say much, admitting that he is simply waiting for the break to forget the past season. “Disconnect completely, not talk to anyone,” he said, outlining his goals for the coming weeks before shifting focus to 2026.
He went on: “No one will be able to reach me this winter. I won’t have my phone with me. I can’t wait. I’ll be completely unplugged.” It’s an approach he has used before — notably after the controversial ending to the 2021 season — and it shows how tough this first year in red has been. Lewis Hamilton even admitted: “Usually I always keep it with me — the phone — but this time it’s going in the damn bin.”
It’s a necessary break, even if he’s not yet sure how it will affect him. But one thing is certain: “I can’t wait to get away from all this. Every week there are photo shoots and stuff like that. It’s the kind of thing I look forward to not having to do one day.”
Hamilton – Ferrari: a love story that hasn’t blossomed yet
Next year marks the beginning of a new Formula 1 chapter, giving Lewis Hamilton the chance to leave behind the ground-effect era — a concept with which he has never had a good relationship. He had already said earlier in the Abu Dhabi weekend that he won’t miss anything about the current generation of cars.
His first season with Ferrari has been far from ideal. Numerous issues surfaced, from a difficult relationship with the car to internal dynamics he has yet to fully adapt to. It has been a year marked by long lows, where he fell short against his teammate and didn’t stand on the podium even once. There was his sprint win in China, but beyond that, he came close only on rare occasions.
Lewis Hamilton still showed his talent, especially in difficult situations where experience and racecraft made the difference. There will be plenty of work to do over the winter break, with the hope that the new-generation cars will bring him renewed energy. For him, Ferrari represents the dream of an eighth world championship, but at the moment, that goal still feels distant.
Eighth place today wasn’t the fairy-tale ending anyone wanted, but it was a dignified full stop on a painful chapter. The real story starts next year.
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