F1 legend Lewis Hamilton 'praying' Ferrari get 2026 right

Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton 'praying' Ferrari get 2026 right

Hamilton's hopes of further F1 success hang in the balance.

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Tuesday 30 December 2025 08:27

F1 star Lewis Hamilton has admitted he is 'praying' for the next set of regulations to be better suited to him after a dismal first season at Ferrari.

In 2024, the seven-time champion shocked the sporting world by announcing he would be leaving Mercedes after 12 campaigns with the Silver Arrows to instead pursue title success with the Scuderia.

As a result, 2025 marked not only Hamilton's first year in red, but also the final year of the current regulations, which were characterised by ground effect aerodynamics, something the ex-Mercedes star never got on well with.

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But luckily for the 40-year-old, 2026 will usher in a new cycle of regulations which move away from the ground effect era and instead focus on flatter floors with extended diffusers that have bigger openings.

This will result in less downforce and should offer a greater variety of set-ups, meaning drivers like Hamilton should be able to cater the car to their specific driving style more easily.

Hamilton will also be helped by the fact that he will get to have significant input into the 2026 challenger, as will ex-Mercedes performance director Loic Serra, which was not the case with this year's troubled SF-25.

Hamilton in need of favourable F1 regulations

The seven-time champion was initially reported to be contracted at Ferrari until the end of 2026, but recent reports have suggested Hamilton's contract could run for two more years and include a clause which could see him extend his time at the Scuderia by a further 12 months.

And time could be just what Hamilton needs to finally find his feet at Ferrari and settle into the new regulations.

In a recent interview, Hamilton reflected upon his past experiences with the various regulation eras in F1, detailing what he has learnt from his past struggles.

“It’s been really interesting,” said Hamilton earlier this month, when asked how Ferrari's approach to 2026 differed from the regulation changes he has experienced in the past.

“McLaren in 2009, I remember the first day back in the year, they said the rules of 50 per cent less downforce...so they built the car to have 50 per cent downforce.

"I remember arriving back in January and they're like, ‘we've already hit our targets’ and I'm like, ‘wow, is that normal?’. We get to the first test and there's no downforce at all and we're miles off. So I learned a lot through that experience.

“Then 2014 was incredibly exciting. Also, just because I was in a new team and I could see the amazing work that was being done already a couple of years before, particularly on the engine.

“And 2017 was cool because it was a bigger, wider car. It just looked beefier and more downforce. It was mega."

But the sporting legend then turned his attention to next season, indicating that everything is riding on a better regulations cycle in 2026.

"This generation was probably the worst one, I would say, and I'm praying that the next one is not worse than that,” he concluded.

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Grand Prix Record
Grand Prix	Position
Australia	10
China	DSQ
Japan	7
Bahrain	5
Saudi Arabia	7
Miami	8
Emilia Romagna	4
Monaco	5
Spain	6
Canada	6
Austria	4
Great Britain	4
Belgium	7
Hungary	12
Netherlands	DNF
Italy	6
Azerbaijan	8
Singapore	8
United States	4
Mexico	8
Brazil	DNF
Las Vegas	8
Qatar	12
Abu Dhabi	8

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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