Lewis Hamilton has rejected the theory that his improved 2026 Ferrari performances are primarily the result of Formula 1’s new cars favouring his natural driving style. Despite being able to approach the SF-26 more like some previous generations of machinery, the seven-time world champion maintains that every driver has faced adjustments under the latest regulations.
Hamilton’s position challenges a widely discussed explanation for his dramatic turnaround. After enduring the worst season of his career during the final year of Formula 1’s ground-effect era, the Briton reached the 2026 summer break with 169 points, five podiums from six races and his first Grand Prix victory for Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton disputes 2026 F1 driving-style theory
The contrast with 2025 is significant. Hamilton scored 156 points throughout his first campaign with the Maranello team and failed to reach a Grand Prix podium for the first time in his Formula 1 career. His victory in the Chinese Sprint provided a rare highlight, but the SF-25 never allowed him to produce the consistent results expected after his move from Mercedes.
His fortunes have changed substantially in 2026. By the summer break, Hamilton had already surpassed his previous season’s points total and collected five podium finishes across six races. The breakthrough arrived in Barcelona, where he secured his first Grand Prix victory for Ferrari and ended a personal wait for a full-distance win stretching back to 2024.
The British driver has previously emphasised that the SF-26 contains more of his racing DNA because he was involved in its development. That differs from the situation he faced upon arriving at Maranello, when he inherited an SF-25 conceived while Carlos Sainz was still part of Ferrari’s driver line-up. Hamilton’s contribution to the development of Ferrari’s 2026 car consequently gave him a stronger connection to the project from its earliest stages.
However, Hamilton does not believe this means the latest regulations have rewarded him more than other drivers. Speaking to media including ScuderiaFans.com, he explained that everyone had needed to adapt and that the scale of his own adjustments had not been greater than during any previous regulatory era.
How the 2025 and 2026 Formula 1 driving styles differ
The theory surrounding Hamilton’s resurgence is based partly on the contrasting cornering techniques encouraged by the two generations of car. The 2025 ground-effect machines generally rewarded a U-shaped approach, with drivers braking earlier before carrying speed smoothly through the apex.
Hamilton has traditionally preferred to brake later and more aggressively before making a sharper turn towards the apex. This V-shaped cornering technique was better aligned with the Formula 1 cars used between 2017 and 2021, when he secured four of his seven world championships and 50 of his 84 victories for Mercedes.
Those characteristics appear to support the idea that the lighter and more responsive 2026 machinery naturally plays to his strengths. Hamilton nevertheless argued that the current driving style was not particularly more rewarding for any individual competitor. Although he acknowledged that he could drive the new car somewhat more like previous generations, he also pointed out that his approach during those earlier victories was fundamentally the same as the one he uses now.
He further noted that he continued to win more races than most drivers during the intervening period, challenging the suggestion that his competitiveness depended entirely on one particular car philosophy. The difficulties behind Hamilton’s adaptation to the ground-effect SF-25 therefore offer only part of the explanation for the difference between his two Ferrari seasons.
Throttle inputs now influence energy deployment throughout the lap
According to Hamilton, the 2026 cars are lighter, more forgiving and no longer affected by the bouncing that complicated the ground-effect era. However, those improvements have not made the latest generation straightforward to master. Power application and the management of electrical deployment have added another demanding layer to the driver’s work with the engineers.
In previous cars, the focus was more directly centred on drivability. The current machines require drivers to consider not only how the power is delivered but also where electrical energy is deployed around the circuit. Those settings and techniques must be adjusted continuously as the lap develops.
Hamilton explained that even subtle throttle movements can alter the deployment profile. Applying half throttle, returning fully to the accelerator or reducing the input by approximately 10 per cent can change how the available energy is released over the remainder of the lap. That relationship makes understanding the effect of each input more important than ever.
The technical challenge extends beyond choosing a preferred line or braking point. Drivers must coordinate cornering technique, throttle application and hybrid energy use while working with their engineers to refine the car’s behaviour. A detailed guide to harvesting and energy deployment under the 2026 regulations explains why those decisions now have such a significant influence on performance.
Hamilton’s improved results may demonstrate how much more comfortable he is with the SF-26, but he does not accept that the new regulations have simply restored a generation of car designed around his strengths. In his assessment, the machinery is easier and more forgiving in some respects, while demanding a deeper understanding of throttle-controlled energy deployment in others.
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