Lewis Hamilton has revealed his hopes for 2026 as he looks to bounce back after a disastrous maiden Formula 1 season for Ferrari in 2025.
2025 could and should have been the beginning of a new chapter for Lewis Hamilton, making the blockbuster move to Ferrari following a decade of success with Mercedes.
But the dream quickly transformed into a nightmare, despite a sprint race win in China fuelling hopes of a title bid.
He and team-mate Charles Leclerc were both disqualified after the Chinese Grand Prix, setting the tone for a miserable year that featured strategic blunders, and missed opportunities.
Hamilton’s confidence suffered almost inexorably during the second half of the season, as Q1 eliminations became a frequent occurrence.
But the seven-time world champion has revealed motivation ahead of the 2026 season, praising Ferrari’s efforts to prepare the SF-26, the fans also playing a special part.
“Just waking up here at Ferrari, it’s very, very special,” said Hamilton to formula1.com
“Obviously I’ve been here the past week or so, and seeing the car coming together, also just knowing how hard everyone works and you get to see everyone at their desks every week that I’m here.
“[Seeing] all the work we’ve been doing on the simulator and just the building blocks that you put in place, to then see a car come together, it is the most exciting part of the year when you see all these pieces come out of different departments and eventually it all fits together.
“And you’re one of only two that gets to go out and drive it – it’s pretty remarkable, and I’m so grateful for all the hard work everyone’s put into it.”
“It’s just so exciting when they fire the car up and you get the new vibration of the car through your body, and then they open up the door and you end up going down to Turn 1 where you can see the Tifosi.
“That’s something that I will never get used to, and something that I’ll never be able to forget. But today’s really about reconnecting with the team, reconnecting with that passion of all the people that follow this team. It’s just a day that reignites you. It really also reminds me of why I love doing what I do and why I love this sport.”
Lewis Hamilton ready for a reset in 2026
Hamilton revealed his excitement for the new season, and detailed his approach to the end of year break, following his loss of confidence in 2025.
“If you look at my interviews from all the other years, I would never say that I get excited, but I’m massively excited and I think that’s okay to say that,” he said, “I’m excited for new beginnings.
“It’s been such a focus on resetting, having a good break – even though it’s been the shortest one we’ve ever had, it was just what was needed – and I think just learning new patterns and undoing patterns, and removing things that don’t serve me or bring the right energy, making sure you’re just showing up in the right way.
“So I’m excited about the first test – obviously today you don’t get to push it, but it feels cool at Ferrari.
“But obviously next week we’ll start to try and stretch the legs and see what this new generation of car is going to bring to all of this.
“And then it’s kind of knowing what other people have, what cars, what tricks that other people may or may not have, and what concepts and all those sort of things, and I think for us just keeping our heads down and focusing on our job.
“The team feels refreshed, and [there’s been] so much work from so many different departments here – it’s awesome to see, so we’re going to take this energy and just take it one day at a time.”
READ MORE: Ferrari unveil SF-26 featuring new livery
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