Lewis Hamilton has made clear that he sees his Formula 1 and Ferrari future extending well beyond his current contract, with the seven-time world champion saying he intends to keep racing for many years and expects to still be on the grid when the sport enters its next regulatory cycle. The 41-year-old also explained why he sees little value in complaining about the new generation of Formula 1 cars introduced in 2026, preferring instead to focus his energy on adapting and extracting the maximum from Ferrari’s machinery.
The comments offer an important indication of Lewis Hamilton’s long-term ambitions at Maranello. Despite the physical demands of Formula 1 and the challenge posed by a completely different technical framework in 2026, the British driver remains committed to his Ferrari career and believes he still has the tools required to compete at the highest level.
Lewis Hamilton explains his approach to the new 2026 F1 regulations
The regulatory cycle that began in 2026 has generated lengthy and complex discussions across Formula 1. The FIA has already made interventions during the season and is looking at further measures for next year in an effort to find the best possible compromise in what has clearly not been an ideal situation.
Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali recently highlighted the difficulty of explaining some of the new technical concepts to a rapidly expanding fanbase, particularly spectators who are less familiar with the engineering language surrounding the sport.
“There are fans talking about clipping during a race weekend, but there are also many who think a clip is something you put in your hair,” Stefano Domenicali explained.
Lewis Hamilton has not been among the strongest critics of the new regulations. Speaking in a recent interview with La Repubblica, the Ferrari driver explained that adapting to this generation of Formula 1 machinery had required substantial technical work.
“Adapting has been a technical challenge: simulator, study, going deeper into the engineering. Tough stuff. But our job is to do the best possible job with what we have. Complaining is pointless. I don’t waste my energy saying whether I like these rules or not, I just apply myself. I like driving this car because it’s a car I feel is mine,” Lewis Hamilton stressed.
That approach comes during an important period of development for the Scuderia, with understanding the characteristics of the new regulations forming a fundamental part of Ferrari’s technical work with the SF-26.
Lewis Hamilton wants to keep racing with Ferrari for years
The conversation then turned to Lewis Hamilton’s age and how long he could realistically remain in Formula 1. At 41, the British driver acknowledged that some aspects of physical recovery now take longer, but he insisted that his performance in other important areas remains extremely strong.
“The other day I was in a meeting and we were talking about reaction times. Mine is still good; actually, my engineers told me it is faster than most of the younger drivers. They say you become slower at 40, and I’m 41. Of course, it takes me longer to recover, but now I have many more tools that help me,” Lewis Hamilton explained.
His comments suggest that age alone is not currently influencing his decision about when to stop racing. Instead, the seven-time world champion remains focused on performance, recovery and using the experience and resources available to him to maintain the level required in Formula 1.
Lewis Hamilton expects to remain for the next F1 regulations
Lewis Hamilton then addressed his contractual future directly. Although he still has another year remaining on his current agreement, he made it clear that he does not consider this the right moment to focus heavily on what comes afterwards.
“I have another year ahead of me, so this isn’t the time to focus on that. But I love Ferrari, I feel at home and I intend to race for a long time. I think I’ll be here with the next regulations as well. My goal is to try to be the best, to try to help this team get to where it deserves to be,” Lewis Hamilton said.
The statement provides one of the clearest indications yet of how the British driver views his future with the Maranello team. Rather than treating his current Ferrari spell as the final short chapter of his Formula 1 career, Lewis Hamilton appears prepared to continue beyond the present agreement if the circumstances allow it.
His ambition is also closely connected to Ferrari’s wider objective. Lewis Hamilton is not simply focused on extending his own career; he wants to contribute to taking the Scuderia back to the competitive level he believes it deserves. That challenge continues with the SF-26, a car Ferrari has been developing extensively during the first season of the new technical era, including recent work on its 2026 power unit and overall performance package.
For now, however, Lewis Hamilton’s priorities remain firmly in the present. He has embraced the technical challenge posed by the 2026 regulations, believes his reaction speed remains highly competitive and has no intention of spending energy debating whether the rules suit his preferences. Most significantly for Ferrari, the seven-time world champion still sees himself racing for years to come — and expects his Formula 1 career to extend into the sport’s next regulatory era.
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