Hamilton’s second year with Ferrari brings a different outlook
Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari sparked huge excitement and enormous expectations across the Formula 1 world. However, the first 12 months of his Maranello adventure were heavily affected by an uncompetitive car, with Ferrari often only the fourth-fastest team, as well as a more difficult-than-expected adjustment to an entirely new environment. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion found himself dealing with a single-seater that was far from his preferred technical characteristics, with inconsistent and unstable behaviour that made extracting performance especially difficult.
On top of the car-related struggles, Lewis Hamilton also had to adapt to a completely different working culture, new internal team dynamics, and a fresh relationship with Ferrari’s pit wall. Considering that throughout his career Lewis Hamilton has often been exceptional at maximising the potential of already competitive machinery, but has less frequently been the figure to drag a team out of a deep technical crisis, the difficulties of his first Ferrari campaign become easier to understand. The result was a frustrating debut season in red, ending without a single podium finish.
The 2026 version of Lewis Hamilton appears to be approaching things with a completely different mindset, encouraged by Ferrari’s hopes of interpreting the new technical regulations more effectively. The British driver now speaks far more naturally about the SF-26, a car he says feels much more tailored to his driving style, while Ferrari itself has gone through significant technical and human changes behind the scenes.
The results have also improved compared to 2025. Ferrari’s first podium of the season, secured by Lewis Hamilton in Shanghai, offered an important confidence boost. While the Scuderia is still not delivering the level of performance many expected, the early signs have given the #44 genuine reasons for optimism.
Lewis Hamilton explains Ferrari progress
“I am in a really good place. With the team, it took a long time to find the right balance, from both sides, and last year was a difficult season with a car that we were not developing,” Lewis Hamilton explained in Miami.
“We’ve made so many changes both within the team and in the way we operate back at the factory, and it feels like we’ve never been more aligned in terms of collaboration,” he added. “Maybe there are a couple too many sponsor commitments, but aside from that, things are going really well.” – the British driver concluded ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend.
Lewis Hamilton’s newfound harmony with Ferrari therefore marks a crucial psychological breakthrough for a partnership that many critics had already begun to write off. While a podium-less debut season severely tested the patience of both the Tifosi and the driver, the internal operational overhauls implemented over the winter have successfully created a more harmonious working environment. The SF-26 may still have developmental ground to make up against the likes of Mercedes and McLaren, but having a deeply motivated and aligned Hamilton is a massive weapon for Frédéric Vasseur‘s ongoing technical rebuild. If the factory can continue to deliver aerodynamic updates that complement the Briton’s precise driving style, Ferrari will possess the stability required to transform these occasional podium visits into a sustained, front-running campaign.
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