Lewis Hamilton’s extensive 2026 preparations with Ferrari revealed

Hamilton working towards 2026 since start of the year

When the 2025 season began, it was soon apparent that Ferrari would not be contenders. Aside from a Sprint Race victory for Hamilton in China, the SF-25 never set the field ablaze.

Even then, Hamilton’s Sprint triumph was followed by a double-disqualification after the Sunday race – as Ferrari overstepped the limit on plank wear.

Putting aside the Scuderia’s package, it was a difficult year for Hamilton on an individual level. The British driver struggled to match the efforts of teammate Charles Leclerc across the season.

To some extent, the #44 was resigned relatively early to 2026 being the year of truth for Ferrari.

Speaking to the media in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton made clear he was vocal about prioritising 2026:

“I was the one pushing for it. It’s like, we can’t fall behind the others in terms of that development for the new car.

“Because it’s a steep learning curve for all of us, and so I supported it 100 per cent.

“I still do think it was the right decision, particularly with where we were already with the car. We weren’t fighting for a championship.”

During a press conference earlier in the year, Hamilton also touched on the nature of his dialogue with Ferrari.

The 7-time Champion has given feedback on a variety of issues, from 2026 simulator work to more fundamental infrastructural suggestions:

“I’ve sent documents through the year. After the first few races, I did a full document for the team. Then, during this break, I had another two documents that I sent in. So, then I come in and want to address those.

“Some of it is structural adjustments that we need to make as a team – in order to get better in all the areas that we want to improve.

“And then the other one was really about the current issues that I have with this year’s car.

“Some things that you do want to take on to next year’s car, and some that you need to work on changing for next year.

“I tried the 2026 car for the first time [at the start of the year] and started working on that. The engineers come to the room, and I sit and debrief with every single one of them. So a big, big push.”

Now or never for Ferrari

When Hamilton signed his Ferrari contract, he agreed to a multi-year deal. To some extent, this signalled a commitment to the Scuderia – at least to start the 2026 regulations.

At the same time, the 7-time Champion turns 41 in January. This is not to say he cannot continue in F1 for several more years – Fernando Alonso still performs at a high level at 44 years of age.

Still, Hamilton is unlikely to spend half a decade waiting for Fred Vasseur’s team to deliver if their foundation in 2026 is not solid enough.

Much like Charles Leclerc, who has spent 7 years at the Maranello squad, Hamilton will be eager to challenge for a title next season. Should this task be beyond Ferrari’s reach, it could be detrimental to the team’s relationship with the drivers.

It was only last month that Chairman John Elkann made a series of scathing comments about the Ferrari duo.

Although both Hamilton and Leclerc were diplomatic when questioned on these remarks, Elkann’s quotes are indicative that – should 2026 start poorly – the situation in Maranello could become very volatile.

Perhaps because of this, both the Scuderia’s drivers were always happy to prioritise the new regulations.

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