Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari is now working towards a much clearer objective after revealing the changes he has pushed for at Maranello and discussing the new power-unit specification arriving for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion says a lack of power has cost the SF-26 around four tenths at times this season, making the latest engine development particularly important at Monza.
Lewis Hamilton was inevitably one of the main attractions on Thursday at Ferrari’s home race. The British driver arrived in the Italian Grand Prix paddock behind the wheel of a Ferrari F40, creating one of the most memorable images of the day before turning his attention to the competitive challenge ahead. His restored Ferrari F40 arrival at Monza also carried a deeply personal story, which he later explained during the traditional Thursday press conference.
There were numerous questions about Lewis Hamilton’s experience at Maranello, his influence on Ferrari’s working methods and the progress made since his first season with the Scuderia. Michael Schumacher was another unavoidable subject during a weekend in which the German legend and his Ferrari legacy are being celebrated.
Lewis Hamilton explains Ferrari’s 0.4s power deficit before Monza
Discussing Ferrari’s introduction of a new power-unit specification, Lewis Hamilton highlighted how the lack of power has represented one of the team’s major weaknesses so far this season. The latest development forms part of Ferrari’s wider ADUO-2 engine programme for Monza, with the Scuderia looking for additional performance at a circuit where straight-line efficiency is particularly important.
“Up to this point in the year we’ve been losing, even at the last race on such a short circuit, around four tenths during the race. That’s a big deficit and we’ve carried it throughout the year so far,” Lewis Hamilton explained. “What I can say is that I’m really, really proud when I go back to the factory and see how hard everyone is working. They’re really focused.”
The latest development introduced on the SF-26 this season also gave Lewis Hamilton another opportunity to underline what he sees as one of the biggest differences between his first year at Maranello and Ferrari’s current campaign.
Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari now has a clear objective
“Everyone is so enthusiastic. I see a different level of focus this year compared to last year,” the seven-time world champion continued. “Last year, I feel like there wasn’t really a North Star. I think we all did our best, but without knowing exactly where we wanted to get to.”
Lewis Hamilton believes that situation has now changed substantially. “Now that we have a target, we know we have to work. They’ve done an extraordinary job of coming together and achieving this result, and this is a step forward. Seeing the small improvements arriving every weekend and integrating them into the car is exciting. It shows us that we’re pushing, and I still firmly believe that we have what it takes to win.”
The comments reflect the continuous development programme Ferrari has pursued with the SF-26. The team has continued introducing smaller improvements rather than relying on a single decisive upgrade, with its latest evolved low-downforce package for Monza another example of that approach.
Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari example and the changes Lewis Hamilton requested
One recurring theme throughout Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari career has been his desire to influence certain elements of the team’s working methods. With Michael Schumacher’s arrival at Maranello providing an obvious historical comparison, the British driver explained that he does not see Ferrari’s transformation during that famous era as the work of one individual.
“I haven’t taken a page from Michael’s management,” Lewis Hamilton said. “Obviously there was a big narrative around Michael Schumacher turning the team around, but ultimately it’s a combination of many people. It’s like a kind of ship, and the driver’s job is to work alongside the leading figures to try to steer it in the right direction.”
For Lewis Hamilton, one of the advantages of bringing people into an organisation from elsewhere is the alternative perspective they can provide. The same principle applies to drivers and engineers who arrive after experiencing different teams and working methods.
“I think the positive aspect is the opportunity it creates. A new driver comes in with experience, having worked at two different teams. When you’re inside, sometimes it’s difficult to see things clearly. When somebody comes in, and it’s the same with new engineers arriving from different places, they immediately say, ‘Oh, we used to do things differently.’”
Lewis Hamilton stressed that a different approach is not automatically a better one. Instead, the value lies in having another reference point from which existing methods can be assessed.
“It isn’t necessarily a better way, it’s simply a different approach. It’s really phenomenal when you think that all the teams have the same rules, they all do everything differently to achieve the same result, and then the cars on track are within a tenth. That’s what makes our sport so fantastic.”
The subject is closely connected to Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur’s own explanation of why Ferrari accepted some Lewis Hamilton requests but rejected others, with cost-cap restrictions and the wider needs of the organisation inevitably influencing which ideas could be pursued.
Lewis Hamilton reveals how he pushed Ferrari to modify the car
Looking specifically at his contribution during his two seasons at Maranello, Lewis Hamilton explained that he had pushed for numerous changes to the car. Some could not be introduced during his first season because of the budget cap, while others challenged solutions and practices Ferrari had used for a long time.
“As far as I’m concerned, I pushed for many changes inside the car that we couldn’t make last year because of the budget cap and because that was how they had always done things,” Lewis Hamilton explained. “I was asking: why should we change it? So it takes a lot of persuasion to get some of these modifications, and then some of them were expensive and the process was longer.”
The seven-time world champion revealed that some of the ideas were first created for Ferrari’s simulator so that he could evaluate them before they were transferred to the real car.
“I asked them to design them for the simulator, I tested them last year and then they added them as options for the car we use every weekend. The main objective is to look at things from an outside perspective, observing everything they do well and highlighting the areas that maybe aren’t as good, to say, ‘Hey, we need to improve in all these areas.’ That’s what I try to do.”
Lewis Hamilton also acknowledged that financial restrictions inevitably prevented Ferrari from implementing everything on his list.
“I think Fred Vasseur also said that there were some things on the list that he can’t do because they’re too expensive, but I’m grateful for the ones he allowed to be realised.”
Italian GP gives Lewis Hamilton chance to close Kimi Antonelli gap
On paper, Monza also represents an opportunity for Lewis Hamilton to reduce some of the gap separating him from Kimi Antonelli in the Drivers’ Championship. The Mercedes driver is set to start from the back of the grid after the team decided to fit a new power unit, potentially opening the door for the Ferrari driver to gain ground.
Lewis Hamilton, however, does not expect Kimi Antonelli to remain at the back for long. He believes Mercedes’ performance and power advantage over much of the midfield should allow the young Italian to recover positions relatively quickly.
“Kimi Antonelli, with the power he has, which is greater than most of the cars around him, and with the performance they have, they’ve generally been the fastest cars throughout the year, so he should get through the group behind the top teams quite easily,” Lewis Hamilton said. “That’s probably why they chose this race to do it.”
“Getting to eighth or sixth, whatever it is, should be relatively easy for them. I think for us it’s simply about not focusing on that. We have to focus on maximising our weekend and really trying to take energy from the fans.”
Lewis Hamilton praises Kimi Antonelli’s 2026 season
Despite being a direct championship rival, Lewis Hamilton had considerable praise for Kimi Antonelli and the progress the Italian has made during the season. He also highlighted the support the Mercedes youngster receives from race engineer Peter Bonnington, who worked with Lewis Hamilton for many years.
“He’s done an incredible job this year. Clearly he has a great team around him. He has Bono, whom I know very well, giving him lots of advice,” Lewis Hamilton said. “Obviously he was a little in the shadow of George Russell and me when I was there, so he was learning and seeing everything that was being done.”
“He’s done everything he needed to do. I think it’s been fantastic to see his progress at such a young age and to see him being so consistent with his performances.”
Asked whether Kimi Antonelli could one day become a Ferrari driver, Lewis Hamilton refused to rule out the possibility, although he expects Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff to hold on tightly to one of the team’s leading young talents.
“I think it’s possible. I mean, the truth is that there are a lot of great drivers who could join Ferrari in the future,” Lewis Hamilton said. “I think it’s fantastic, and obviously he’s still at the beginning of his career, but Toto Wolff isn’t going to let him go any time soon.”
The remarkable story behind Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari F40
The conversation eventually returned to the Ferrari F40 in which Lewis Hamilton had arrived at Monza. The car is far more than simply an eye-catching choice for the Italian Grand Prix weekend: it is a model the seven-time world champion had been searching for over a considerable period of time.
“It’s my dream car. I’d been looking for one for a while, and I wanted one with low mileage,” Lewis Hamilton explained. “I managed to find this one that the owner had bought, driven from Maranello to his home, 69 kilometres, and then parked it and never started it again.”
For the British driver, using the F40 to arrive at Monza was also intended to connect Ferrari’s road-car history with one of the most symbolic weekends of its Formula 1 season.
“I wanted to drive it because I realised, and I’m pretty sure, that no Ferrari driver in history had ever arrived at the circuit in one of the iconic cars, the GTO or the F40.”
There was also an extraordinary coincidence discovered while the F40 was being restored. Lewis Hamilton revealed that when the engine was dismantled, a familiar number appeared on one of its components.
“When they took the engine apart, they discovered that the serial number was 44. The number 44 was stamped on it. I couldn’t believe it,” Lewis Hamilton said. “So it felt like a sign of destiny, and I thought it was a real opportunity to highlight Ferrari’s history in its home country, at its home race, and hopefully I can do it again.”
The F40 story adds another personal dimension to a Monza weekend already strongly connected to Ferrari’s past. The Scuderia is also celebrating Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari legacy through its special 2026 Italian Grand Prix theme, while Lewis Hamilton is trying to combine that history with the team’s current push to close the performance gap at the front.
For the seven-time world champion, however, the focus remains on extracting everything possible from Ferrari’s latest developments. The new power-unit specification, the steady stream of SF-26 improvements and the changes he has helped push through at Maranello all form part of what Lewis Hamilton now describes as a much clearer direction for the team.
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