Lewis Hamilton involved about ‘detrimental’ Ferrari change – ‘it is a tough interval’
Lewis Hamilton is hoping for a better 2026 Formula One season with Ferrari after implementing changes he requested, but faces a fresh challenge that he admits is ‘detrimental’ to his campaign
Lewis Hamilton spoke about his upcoming Ferrari season(Image: Kym Illman, Getty Images)
Lewis Hamilton will be desperate for the 2026 Formula One season to improve on his 2025 performance. The Ferrari driver had a challenging debut with the Italian team, failing to achieve a single podium finish in any of the 24 races.
With the new season comes a fresh start for the drivers on the grid, as new engine regulations promise to shake things up. Hamilton is hoping to capitalise on these changes, having shared insights about the new Ferrari engine.
At the pre-season testing event in Bahrain, Hamilton told Sky Sports Italy: “I think it’s because of the way the track is at the moment, it’s very dirty, dusty and humid. There’s crosswind coming, you can see the flags flying.
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“Big tail win into turn one, turn four feels great, turn six, seven feels completely different between the two. Eight is okay, 10 can’t stop the car, it’s just all over the place.”
Speaking about personal changes Ferrari have implemented, he added: “You don’t know what engine models everyone is on, so at the moment we’re just focusing on trying to learn as much as we can and get through the issues we have. But I’m happy to see the team is super focused.
“I’m grateful to have been a part of the development of this car and these next couple of tests. I’ll see some of the things I asked for last year, so I’m happy those have been implemented.”
Nevertheless, Hamilton’s troubles could be compounded as he enters the new season, given the seven-time world champion will be working with a new race engineer. This follows a separation from Riccardo Adami, with Hamilton expressing gratitude to the Italian for his contributions.
He stated: “Working with Riccardo was truly wonderful. Last year was a very tough one for all of us, and his patience and work discipline were incredible. For a race driver, the bond with his engineer is absolutely critical. Having to make such a change at the start of the season and adjust to someone new, a new voice, a new working style is, of course, a challenge.
“The ideal is to continue with a seasoned team that has known each other for years and weathered tough times together. However, rotations like this can happen within the team. Right now, I’m focused on building that bond with my new colleagues, and we’re doing our absolute best.”
This represents a new challenge for Hamilton, considering the race engineers he’s collaborated with previously, he’s either been acquainted with them beforehand, or like Adami, had been part of the squad for some time.
Carlo Santi is supervising Hamilton’s sessions during pre-season practice, with a new engineer due to be named midway through the season.
Hamilton said: “It’s actually quite a difficult period because it’s not long-term, the solution that we currently have, it’s only going to be a few races.
“So, early on into the season, it’s going to be switching up again, and I’ll have to learn to work with someone new, so that’s detrimental to a season where you want to arrive with people that have done multiple seasons, have been through thick and thin and are calm.
“But it is the situation that I’m faced with and I’ll try to do the best that I can. The team is trying to do the best they can to make it as seamless as possible.”
