Hamilton wants a Ferrari with his DNA, but D’Ambrosio insists: “The car must be as fast as possible”. Lewis Hamilton wants Ferrari’s 2026 Formula 1 car to reflect his driving style.

Ferrari’s Deputy Team Principal, Jérôme D’Ambrosio, has made it clear that the number one priority for the Scuderia’s engineering team is pure performance. He emphasized that driver preferences are considered only at a later stage of car development. This statement came as a response to recent comments from seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who expressed his desire to shape the future of the Maranello team by contributing to the DNA of their next-generation Formula 1 car.

Lewis Hamilton’s demands for the Ferrari project

Since arriving at Scuderia Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton has been vocal about his ambitions for the team. The British driver, who is in his first season with Ferrari, has reportedly encouraged the team to shift its focus away from further development of the current SF-25 car in order to dedicate more resources and attention to the 2026 project. Speaking during the 2025 British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone, Hamilton confirmed that he is in close and continuous contact with Ferrari’s Technical Director, Loïc Serra.

Hamilton’s goal is to ensure that Ferrari’s 2026 Formula 1 car — the first to be fully designed during his time with the team — is tailored to suit his driving style. After struggling to extract consistent performance from the current car, the British superstar wants to make sure the upcoming car aligns better with his racing instincts. According to Hamilton, his involvement is aimed at embedding his “DNA” into the design and behavior of the car to match his unique strengths as a driver.

However, in an interview with the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, Ferrari Deputy Team Principal Jérôme D’Ambrosio clarified that, while driver feedback is valuable, the Scuderia is not building the 2026 car around the needs of a single driver — no matter how experienced or decorated.

D’Ambrosio sets the record straight

Jérôme D’Ambrosio, a former Formula 1 and Formula E driver who now serves as Frédéric Vasseur’s right-hand man at Ferrari, made it clear that the team’s engineering approach will always prioritize absolute speed and performance above individual requests.

D’Ambrosio, who previously worked closely with Toto Wolff at Mercedes before moving to Maranello, explained that the main goal is to create the fastest car possible. In his view, the drivers must adapt to the car’s performance profile, rather than engineers compromising performance to accommodate specific driving styles.

“You always have to be careful when saying that a car is being developed in a particular direction,” D’Ambrosio said. “The primary goal of development is always to maximize performance, and Loïc and his technical group are focused entirely on building the fastest possible Formula 1 car. There are some objective parameters that must be taken into account, and these are the foundation of the design process.”

He went on to clarify that driver input becomes relevant later in the process. “Only in the second phase of development do we begin to evaluate what the drivers might need,” D’Ambrosio added. “There are many things we can do to give them the right tools to adapt the car as much as possible to their individual styles — this is where setup and balance come into play.”

According to D’Ambrosio, open communication with both drivers is essential. “As a team, we make it a priority to sit down with both drivers several times a year, to lay everything out on the table. That includes understanding what they need and translating that into performance improvements. Interestingly, when we listen to both drivers, we often realize that their preferences and demands are actually very similar.”

No favoritism in the development process

Finally, D’Ambrosio dismissed any suggestion that Technical Director Loïc Serra might favor Hamilton’s preferences in the development of the 2026 Ferrari car. This speculation arose due to the long professional relationship between Serra and Hamilton from their shared time at Mercedes before both joined Ferrari.

“The fact that Loïc worked with Lewis for many years at Mercedes certainly helps in terms of communication,” said D’Ambrosio. “But Loïc also enjoys an excellent relationship with Charles Leclerc.”

With both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc expected to remain central to Ferrari’s plans in the coming years, the engineering team is focused on delivering a car that is competitive at the highest level — without compromising the core philosophy of performance-first design.