Lewis Hamilton has effectively put aside any remaining hopes of fighting for the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship and is now focusing on a strong finish to his first season with Ferrari. After expressing a similar view following Monza, his retirement in Madrid — his first of the year — only reinforced that outlook. The seven-time world champion now wants to challenge George Russell and potentially finish second in the Drivers’ Championship, a result that would underline both his own progress and Ferrari’s improvement compared with 2025.
Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, Lewis Hamilton also addressed several of Formula 1’s other major talking points, from the uncertain closing stages of the 2026 F1 calendar to the changes planned for 2027. On several issues, the Ferrari driver made clear that he was unconvinced by the direction being taken.
Lewis Hamilton wants Ferrari to recognise its 2026 progress
The latest Grands Prix have changed Lewis Hamilton’s perspective on the championship run-in, as they have for virtually every driver other than Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes driver has opened a 101-point advantage over Hamilton, while the Ferrari driver’s retirement at the Madrid Grand Prix dealt another major blow to his title hopes.
For Lewis Hamilton, however, Ferrari cannot allow the gap at the top of the standings to overshadow the progress made since 2025. He believes the priority should now be to finish the season with a result that confirms those steps forward.
“Kimi is 101 points ahead of me. In just two races he has gained something like 40-odd points, while we have worked incredibly hard during the year just to gain a couple of points here and there. There is still a long way to go, and I think the objective for me is to hold on to second place or, who knows, maybe somehow catch Mercedes. For the Constructors’ Championship, that would be an extraordinary result.”
The current championship picture can also be explored through the ScuderiaFans F1 Championship Points Calculator, which tracks the remaining points and possible title scenarios as the season approaches its decisive stages.
Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton continued: “I think you just have to look at where we were last year and the progress we have made this year. Even if things can sometimes seem gloomy, you have to look at the positives. We have fought, we have taken wins and podiums, and the team has done an incredible job bringing upgrades, so you really have to recognise how many good things we have achieved this year.”
“I know a lot of people focus on the negatives. As far as I am concerned, if I could fight with George [Russell] and somehow get ahead of him — which would be very difficult because Mercedes are leading — and if at the end of the year we could remain in the top three, or perhaps even second, I think that would be an exceptional result for us as a team.”
That ambition comes at a weekend where Ferrari is also facing a demanding technical challenge. The SF-26 faces a difficult Baku test, with the circuit placing particular emphasis on efficiency, straight-line performance and power-unit management.
Lewis Hamilton hopes Qatar and Abu Dhabi remain on the calendar
Formula 1 is now approaching a final decision over the venues for the closing Grands Prix of the season. Qatar and Abu Dhabi remain under significant uncertainty because of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, but Lewis Hamilton said he would personally like the events to go ahead if the situation allows.
“Personally, I want to go. I love going to the Middle East. From what I have read, the situation over there seems calm. But again, I do not have all the information, so I do not know what the risk levels are. However, I trust Stefano [Domenicali] to make the right decision for the sport. I really hope we can go.”
If those races remain on the calendar, the possibility of ending the season with an event at Imola would disappear. Lewis Hamilton explained why he would prefer Formula 1 to retain the original schedule rather than move the finale to the Italian circuit.
“Finishing the season at Imola in the middle of winter might not be ideal from a weather point of view. It is a beautiful circuit, but it certainly is not a track that promotes overtaking. As far as I am concerned, the more races we have, the better.”
Hamilton welcomes Formula 1’s return to Sepang
Lewis Hamilton was much more enthusiastic about returning to Sepang, where the Bahrain Grand Prix will be held the following week after the race could not take place at Sakhir because of the situation in the Middle East.
The seven-time world champion has fond memories of Malaysia from his years with his previous team and believes the Sepang International Circuit provides exactly the kind of challenge Formula 1 should value when building its calendar.
“I have always loved going to Kuala Lumpur. I had some great experiences there with my previous team. The track is fantastic and it is a circuit that produces good races. When deciding which tracks should be included on the season calendar, that is something that should be taken into consideration.”
“We want good races for the fans, not races where you do not see any overtaking. So I really welcome the idea. I cannot wait. It is an incredibly hot circuit. It is going to be a very physically demanding race, so I am really looking forward to that challenge.”
Ferrari fans heading into the immediate Baku weekend can find the complete session information in the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix schedule.
Lewis Hamilton opposes shorter Formula 1 races in 2027
Looking further ahead, Lewis Hamilton also expressed strong reservations about one of the changes planned for the 2027 season. As previously reported by AutoRacer.it and confirmed this week by the FIA, Grand Prix distances are set to be reduced slightly, from the current 305 kilometres to 290 kilometres, as part of changes connected to the power-unit regulations and the increased emphasis on the internal-combustion component.
Lewis Hamilton admitted that he had not studied the reasoning behind the decision in detail, but argued that Formula 1 should be moving in the opposite direction.
“I know practically nothing about it, nor do I know the reasons behind the proposal,” Lewis Hamilton admitted. “I think races should be longer because today they are physically less demanding than they used to be. So shortening them does not make much sense to me.”
“If we think about this weekend, we have the C3, C4 and C5 compounds available, and they can practically cover the entire race distance.”
Leaving aside the questions surrounding fuel-tank size and fuel consumption, Lewis Hamilton’s main objection concerns the increasing uniformity of race strategies. In his view, many Grands Prix no longer create enough strategic or physical difficulty.
“We have a lot of races that involve only one pit stop. It is not a particularly demanding challenge. They are producing tyres that seem to last longer. So, as far as I am concerned, there have been many races where I would have liked to have more laps available. To be honest, what I would ask for is the opposite: longer races.”
Hamilton wants Formula 1 drivers pushed closer to the limit
The Ferrari driver then connected that argument with his enthusiasm for Formula 1’s return to Sepang. For Lewis Hamilton, the sport should continue to place extreme physical and mental demands on its drivers rather than reducing those challenges.
“This should be the most demanding sport both physically and mentally. There are races with extreme heat where you really are at the limit. Take Singapore: it is incredibly hot and demanding. Malaysia this year is going to be crazy.”
“But those are exactly the situations where you want to see athletes at the limit, right? At the limit of their performance, forced to push their bodies beyond their normal boundaries, because that is what this sport is about: raising the bar and pushing beyond the limits. So shortening the races makes absolutely no sense to me.”
Lewis Hamilton says Monaco needs more than a Sprint race
Lewis Hamilton was equally unconvinced by the decision to introduce a Sprint race at Monaco next year. In his view, adding another short race does not solve the fundamental problem Formula 1 faces in the Principality.
“It does not make sense to me, although obviously I am not the person making the decisions. One positive is that perhaps we will have another qualifying session, which is interesting. However, I have always argued that Monaco needs something different.”
“I do not think it should follow the same race formula used everywhere else. It needs something different. We have already introduced Sprint races, which in my opinion have brought something fresh to the sport, but I think that for a place like that you need to come up with a new idea.”
Lewis Hamilton remains a great admirer of Monaco as a venue and as a circuit to drive, but he was much more critical of the quality of the Grand Prix itself.
“It is a beautiful place, a beautiful country and an incredible circuit to drive, but the race is deadly boring. I do not know what the solution is, but the Sprint race certainly is not it.”
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