Lewis Hamilton says he is entering the 2026 Formula 1 season with renewed confidence and a stronger sense of belonging at Ferrari, declaring that he feels “in the best place I’ve been in for a long time” as he prepares for his second year with the Scuderia.
The seven-time World Champion endured a mixed debut season with the Italian team in 2025 after leaving Mercedes following 12 years with the Silver Arrows. But with a full year of adaptation behind him — and a new generation of F1 machinery arriving — Hamilton believes both he and Ferrari are far better aligned.
Reflecting during the second pre-season test in Bahrain, he admitted the transition had not been simple, but ultimately rewarding. “It’s definitely been a challenge and one that I’ve enjoyed for the most part of it,” he said
“Having had a year now with the team, everything is much more settled, the ins and outs of the working relationship. I’m really, really excited about this season – I think everyone’s really showed up with really great positivity.”
Hamilton also highlighted the atmosphere inside Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters, describing a sense of unity and determination that carried through the winter. “Even at the end of the last year, the empathy within the team and the hunger, you could see as I travelled around the workshop to go and see people before Christmas, and then to see them show up this year, it’s a really positive feeling so far.”
A new car, a new engineer, and a new level of connection
Ferrari’s SF‑26 has already shown promise in testing, completing 420 laps in Bahrain — one of the highest totals of any team — and demonstrating strong reliability. For Hamilton, the car represents more than just a technical step forward; it marks the first Ferrari he has helped shape from the ground up.
“Last year we were locked into a car that obviously I inherited – this is a car that I’ve been able to be a part of developing on the simulator for the last 10 months, eight months, so a bit of my DNA is within it so I’m more connected to this one, for sure.”
His 2026 campaign will also see him working with a new race engineer following Riccardo Adami’s move to Ferrari’s academy. Despite the change, Hamilton appears energized rather than unsettled.
A Personal Reset Over the Winter
The 41-year-old revealed that he used the off-season to reset mentally and physically after a turbulent 2025. “I really felt like I spent a lot of time rebuilding over this winter, refocusing, really getting my body and my mind to a much better place. In general, just making sure that I’m able to arrive feeling better.”
He added: “I generally feel personally in the best place that I’ve been in a long, long time, with rearranging things within my team. And then the car, we’ve started off quite well so far. It’s an exciting time with this new generation of car as well, because it’s all brand new – we’re all trying to figure it out on the go.”
Long-Term Faith in Ferrari’s Project
Hamilton reiterated that his belief in Ferrari’s long-term potential remains unchanged from the moment he signed with the team.
“My belief in the team is still absolutely the same. [I have] 100% faith in this team and what they’re capable of, and that’s why I joined the team.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be an overnight thing, that we’d have success immediately – that’s why I signed a longer deal, because I knew it was… more often than not it is a process.”