Lewis Hamilton 'praying' Ferrari get 2026 right

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.

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.

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