F1 legend Lewis Hamilton reveals the wild location where he signed his Ferrari contract

Photo: © IMAGO

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton reveals the wild location where he signed his Ferrari contract

Lewis Hamilton became a Ferrari driver in 2025

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 28 January 2026 13:13 Updated: 13:19

Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he signed his Ferrari contract in an unusual location.

Hamilton joined Ferrari in January 2025, but had already signed his contract back in 2024, with the Brit still having a full season at Mercedes to see out first before moving to the Maranello-based outfit.

His move has not had the effect that he hoped it would, with Hamilton not even claiming a single grand prix podium in 2025 with his new team, and finishing down in sixth in the drivers' championship.

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Despite this, the 41-year-old has revealed his happiness at being with the team, the most successful and iconic outfit on the F1 grid, while also revealing that he signed his contract with the Maranello-based team in Hawaii.

"It’s such an honour to be part of this team," Hamilton said on stage at the Ferrari 2026 season launch event. "Second year feels still very fresh, I remember signing the contract, I was in Hawaii at the time, couldn’t believe still to this day that I get to work for this iconic brand.

"And then to travel around the world and see how much love people around the world have for this brand is truly remarkable."

Can Hamilton get back to his best in 2026?

While Ferrari's car performance left much to be desired in 2025, Hamilton himself struggled with inconsistent driver performances.

He finished 86 points behind team-mate Charles Leclerc, who claimed seven podiums in the season, in what was Hamilton's biggest ever team-mate defeat.

Hamilton knows that he's going to have to do better than that in 2026 to convince Ferrari to give him another contract in the sport, with his Hawaii-signed deal coming to an end at the end of this year.

But he will hope that the 2026 regulations offer him more than the previous set. Not only in terms of Ferrari's car performance, but also in terms of his ability to get the most out of the car.

Hamilton only claimed two grand prix wins in four seasons of the previous regulations, and these new 2026 cars might just be better suited to his immense talent.

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