Lewis Hamilton said after the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November that it had “definitely been the hardest year.”
From the fanfare of his arrival at Ferrari in January, Hamilton ended the season dejected. It was not what he had hoped for after leaving Mercedes, a team where he spent 12 seasons and won six of his seven drivers’ titles. But there was no remorse.
Hamilton said he “would absolutely” sign again with Ferrari. “I don’t regret the decision I made to join the team. I know it takes time to build and grow within an organization, and I expected that.”
For the first time in his 19 years in Formula 1, Hamilton ended a season not only without a win, but without a podium. In the United States Grand Prix in October, Hamilton broke Didier Pironi’s record for the most consecutive races without a podium after joining Ferrari. Pironi had 19 races before his first. It is 24 and counting for Hamilton going into 2026.
In Las Vegas, Hamilton was at his lowest ebb. He said he was eager for the season to end, that he had “tried everything, and it’s just not working.” Hamilton said he was “not looking forward” to next year.
Before the following race in Qatar, Hamilton’s mood had not softened. “I just look forward,” he said in reflecting on his first season with Ferrari. “There’s not really much to say. The results have shown.”
He did backtrack slightly on his comment about not looking forward to next year. “I’d be surprised if the other drivers are excited about next year at the end of a season, because usually you don’t have a lot of energy,” he said. “You’re looking forward to time with the family and stuff.
“But, look, that was just in the heat of frustration. Often, there’s a lot of frustration at the end of races, particularly when they haven’t gone well. I’m excited to see what the team builds next year and to continue to build with them.”
He said he was not going to quit, and that he was focused on 2026, but that the team had “a lot of work to do over the winter.”
“We’ll analyze the season,” he said. “There are lots of improvements we need to make collectively, but no one’s under any illusion in the team that we all have to play our part. I believe we can. I’m hoping we implement and make changes, along with, hopefully, a better package next year.”
Frédéric Vasseur, the team principal, said “the season was difficult.” Ferrari finished second in the 2024 constructors’ championship, 14 points behind McLaren. This year, it dropped to fourth, 435 points adrift.
Vasseur said Hamilton had played his part in reacting to the situation. “We knew it would be difficult from the first quarter of the season,” he said. “It’s the job of everybody, not one driver or one engineer, but the 1,500 people at the factory, from the two drivers, all the engineers, to react, and collectively, the reaction was good, and Lewis is part of the reaction.”
Vasseur understood Hamilton’s negative reactions on occasion, particularly after Las Vegas.
“Five minutes after a race, when it’s been very hard for them, I can perfectly understand the adrenaline, the emotion, and to make a comment that’s harsh at this stage of a weekend,” he said. “I would say that’s normal.
“I prefer to have drivers being very open at the end of a race, when you’ve not done the perfect job, when the car was not good, to say, ‘I’m frustrated’ rather than saying, ‘The team is perfect, the car is good.’ I would be worried if we didn’t have this kind of frustration.”
Matteo Togninalli, head of track engineering, said Hamilton’s season had to be put in context, that he was not going to replicate the success he enjoyed with Mercedes immediately.
“For a driver to change team, and for a driver like Lewis, who spent 12 years with the same team, with a certain level of experience, it is very difficult for both sides,” Togninalli said. “That’s because every team operates in a slightly different way. You are used to working with certain people and doing things in a certain way.”
Hamilton’s results and performances have been compared to his teammate Charles Leclerc, who finished 86 points ahead in the drivers’ standings, along with seven podiums. Hamilton said the comparison was unfair.
“Charles has done a great job,” Hamilton said. “He’s been there for seven years. He’s got a team around him that he’s worked with for many years. So, it’s a well-oiled machine.
“On my side, it’s a new group of people. For me, it’s a new environment that I’m still getting used to working with. We’re all working as hard as we can, but getting that to work as well as someone who’s had it for several years, you don’t just do it like that. It takes a bit of time.”
Leclerc said that Hamilton had always been extremely motivated. “It’s been a tough end of the season for Lewis, but also for the team in general, as the car has become tougher and tougher to drive. But I’m sure we’ll all be back next year.”
Hamilton, also with an eye on 2026, said what was driving him into next year was “the passion” inside Ferrari and from the fans, known as the Tifosi.
“It is the most special thing about the brand and the people who work for it,” he said. “And then the Tifosi, as we travel around the world, the amazing support that we get.
“That probably makes it even harder when we have the more difficult weekends because you can see how passionate, dedicated, and how hard every single person is working back at the factory, and the results are not reflecting or rewarding them. You feel it more. It’s a big emotional bubble that’s quite precious.”
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