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Paddock insiders believe Ferrari may not extend Lewis Hamilton’s contract after 2026 season

Originally posted on HITC | By David Comerford | Last updated Oct 29, 2025 1:05 PM ET

Lewis Hamilton’s contract with Ferrari runs out in just over a year, and for the first time in his F1 career, he may have to fight to keep his place on the grid.

Hamilton was set to start third on the grid but finished eighth after being given a 10-second penalty during a battle with Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, teammate Charles Leclerc came home second.

All seven of Ferrari’s podiums this season belong to Leclerc, while Hamilton has yet to finish higher than fourth since joining the team at the start of 2025.

The question now is whether Hamilton can turn things around before the end of next year. If he can’t, there’s every chance Ferrari won’t be looking for a contract extension.

Lewis Hamilton not expected to get new Ferrari deal

According to ESPN, who spoke with several senior paddock figures, Hamilton isn’t expected to be offered a new contract next year.

That would leave him as a free agent before the 2027 season. Hamilton hasn’t said if he’ll keep racing, but he did expect his time at Ferrari to be part of a longer-term plan.

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ESPN spoke with several senior figures in the paddock who believe that Hamilton won’t be offered a new deal when his current one runs out.

If that holds true, he’d become a free agent before the 2027 season. He hasn’t announced any plans to retire, but Hamilton did expect his move to Ferrari to be more than just a short stint.

Ferrari unlikely to act on Lewis Hamilton’s demands

Karun Chandhok had a go at Hamilton’s Ferrari engineer over how the 10-second penalty was handled. It isn’t the first time people have questioned how well they’re working together.

There’s been talk that Ferrari aren’t fully on board with Hamilton’s vision for the 2026 car, even though he’s been vocal about wanting both technical and cultural changes at Maranello.

Hamilton thinks Ferrari are starting to listen, but around the paddock, there still seems to be a feeling that something isn’t quite clicking between them.

If Ferrari only see him as a stopgap solution, it makes sense why they might not be eager to give him long-term influence over how things are run.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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