Ferrari F1: Lewis Hamilton's role in crucial decision could pay off big time

Lewis Hamilton looks off into the distance — Photo: © IMAGO

Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton's role in crucial Ferrari decision could pay off big time

Lewis Hamilton is hoping to be more competitive in 2026

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 21 December 2025 11:56

Ferrari F1 star Lewis Hamilton has revealed a decision from the team that may have hampered his first season at Ferrari, but that he was happy to make.

Hamilton endured a torrid first campaign with the Maranello-based outfit, not picking up a single grand prix podium and finishing down in sixth in the drivers' championship.

The 40-year-old Brit had joined Ferrari hoping to get back into the hunt for an eighth world title, but it didn't quite go to plan, and he's now been left with an uphill battle to keep his seat at the team beyond the end of 2026.

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There's no doubt that the performance of Ferrari's SF-25 fell off a cliff towards the end of 2025, as McLaren and Red Bull began to completely dominate the rest of the field, and Hamilton has suggested that was because of Ferrari's decision to stop developing their car and focus on the 2026 regulation changes instead.

Hamilton has revealed that he was completely on board with that decision given the fact that the team were not in the fight for championships or even race wins, but that it was still a disappointing feeling to be scrapping around in the midfield.

"I didn’t know at the end of the year we’d be where we are, no. We anticipated it, but it felt worse, naturally," Hamilton told media at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

"I was a part of, you know, I was one pushing Fred [Vasseur]. 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. So, I supported it 100 per cent.

"I think it was the right decision. Particularly where we were already with the car, we weren’t fighting for a championship.

"But it’s just meant that it’s been harder to maintain the performance, at least some of the performance we had at the beginning of the year."

Hamilton's 2026 title fight hopes

With new regulations sweeping into the sport from next season, Hamilton will be hoping that Ferrari can get a jump on their competitors and be challenging higher up the grid.

The team as a whole did not secure a single grand prix victory in 2025, and that's the third time in seven seasons that has happened.

They need to provide Hamilton and Charles Leclerc with a car that can be challenging McLaren, Mercedes and Max Verstappen, rather than languishing in the midfield as the SF-25 was at many races throughout 2025.

On top of this hope for a better car, Hamilton will also know that 2026 offers him a chance to drive a completely new generation of F1 cars, which may be better suited to his incredible talents.

Since the last regulations reset, Hamilton has only claimed two grands prix wins across four seasons, a measly return for the most successful driver in F1 history.

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F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari