For Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, 2026 marks his 20th season in Formula 1, yet his enthusiasm for this new technical cycle mirrors that of his early years in the sport. The past months have been used to implement improvements behind the scenes, including in communication and team processes. The work done during winter testing has given confidence, and now the goal is clear: to fight for victory.
The 2026 season represents a true reset for Formula 1: new cars, revamped Power Units, and a championship to rewrite from the first green light to the Abu Dhabi finale. For Hamilton, it’s a unique opportunity — a blank slate to reinvent himself at the dawn of one of the sport’s deepest technical revolutions.
It is no secret that the seven-time world champion endured a challenging 2025, struggling to fully adapt to a car that was inconsistent. The difficulty was compounded by limits that were hard to overcome at the end of the technical cycle, particularly with frozen Power Units and diminishing opportunities for intervention.
While this is his twentieth season in F1, the emotional perspective with which Hamilton approaches 2026 is very different from a year ago. Twelve months earlier, he arrived in Melbourne full of excitement about discovering Ferrari from the inside, despite unremarkable pre-season testing and a few lingering issues.
Twelve months later, expectations are higher. Performance levels across the grid remain uncertain, but one thing is clear: Ferrari completed three solid winter test sessions without major issues, aside from half a day lost due to a non-Power Unit problem. This was exactly the start the Scuderia needed, at least in testing. The track this weekend will offer crucial insights into the SF-26’s ambitions.
“We did an excellent job during winter testing. We worked extensively at the factory, but also on understanding what to learn from the tests, and we learned a lot from last year. We leave behind the negatives and move forward with the positives. We are prepared and we know what we need to do. We also know that huge challenges await us with the new regulations,” Hamilton explained.
Several aspects have changed within the team, including some that directly involve Hamilton. The most visible is the replacement of his race engineer, with Riccardo Adami moving to a different role. A shared year of work allows the driver and team to understand each other’s expectations, laying the foundation for a season of growth and extracting the best performance.
“It’s vastly different from the first year, and it’s a much more enjoyable feeling after spending a year with the team, understanding the culture, the methods, and finding ways to work together. I believe we are now in a good place as a team, and today I feel really in sync with the crew. So yes, I’m much happier,” Hamilton added, clearly more comfortable than before.
“It’s a matter of culture, the difference in how the team operates compared to what I experienced with British teams. It’s about really getting to know each other — so many meetings, discussions, and communication. Time in the factory, which I dedicated a lot of last year and continue to dedicate, is key. Asking for change is one thing, but finding ways to implement it means improving for all of us.”
“And making that journey together to discover improvements. I believe we started doing that towards the end of last year, and especially in preparation for this season. Last year the learning curve was extremely steep, and we were learning on the go. But this year, we are much better prepared, and that excites me. It all comes back to trust and the reason I chose this team.”
After twelve years at Mercedes, where he adapted to a precise working method and a well-defined team culture, moving to a new team naturally takes time. Adapting to different mechanisms and building relationships from scratch is a process that cannot be immediate.
Lewis Hamilton has focused on these foundations over the past months, fully aware even after a few races in 2025 that the most concrete opportunities would come in 2026. The start of a new technical cycle represents the real chance to reset, and he hopes this paradigm shift will finally prove successful.
“The goal is to win. That’s why we are working. Everyone is working hard, but this is our goal: to maximize every opportunity, to fight at the front, hopefully from the first races. We really don’t know yet. Mercedes looked particularly quick, and I’m not sure we’ve seen Red Bull at their peak. But whatever happens, I feel I have a great group of people behind me, focused, heads down, delivering performance and maximizing every weekend.”
Despite being over forty, Lewis Hamilton shows no signs of carrying twenty years of F1 on his shoulders. “It doesn’t feel like my twentieth year. I feel younger than ever, in some way. It’s all in the mind, and physically I feel great. I can’t wait to see how we progress this season.”
Lewis Hamilton’s “regeneration” at Ferrari signals a formidable threat to the established order. While the technical reset of 2026 levels the playing field, it is Hamilton’s newfound synergy with the Italian culture and the SF-26’s reliable testing baseline that provides the Tifosi with their strongest hope in years.
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