Lewis Hamilton delivers audacious message for his critics upon hitting landmark F1 moment

Lewis Hamilton has reflected on a career in F1 that has been littered with 'more mistakes than he can count' as he approaches his 20th season in the sport.

The former Mercedes star may have seven F1 drivers' titles to his name and plenty of records to back up the popular opinion that he is the greatest to ever do it, but he has also had plenty of cruel brushes with even further greatness across his esteemed career.

Arguably the most famous of Hamilton's brutal F1 lows came on the final lap of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when a poorly timed crash from Nicholas Latifi prompted the most controversial safety car in F1, and subsequently, a highly controversial last-lap decider that saw Hamilton lose the title to Max Verstappen due to a call from FIA race director at the time, Michael Masi.

The 2021 championship also marked the last time Hamilton found himself seriously in contention for the drivers' title, with the 2022 regulations change ushering in the ground effect era that the Silver Arrows star seriously struggled to get to grips with.

But come 2026 and Hamilton is entering yet another regulations cycle with a much more positive head on his shoulders as he hopes to return to the top with Ferrari in his second season in red.

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Hamilton on F1 career: 'mistakes made the journey even sweeter'

An alarming amount of criticism has been thrown Hamilton's way since he burst onto the F1 grid as a rookie in 2007, where he made quite the impression with McLaren.

Hamilton finished the season just one point off of the championship in his very first campaign, tying on 109 points with team-mate Fernando Alonso, after Hamilton's presence at McLaren had rather upset the two-time champion.

The British star went one better in 2008 and brought home the drivers' title for the Woking-based squad, something no driver was able to replicate until Lando Norris clinched the championship last season.

But whether it was his nail-biting title losses, ridiculous FIA jewellery spats or his persistence to stand up for those without a voice in the sport, the 41-year-old now heads into his 20th F1 season with more fire in him than ever.

And what's even more surprising is the fact that the man who endured such a dreadful start to his career with the Scuderia in 2025 is now saying he is 'grateful for the doubters' and those who tried to knock him down.

Hamilton's chances of picking up a record breaking eighth drivers' title are running out, but he is still determined to celebrate his landmark 20th F1 campaign by not backing down, no matter how badly the cynics want him to.

Hamilton's defiant message to doubters

In a post on Instagram ahead of this weekend's Australian GP, Hamilton posted a carousel of images which features some of the many highlights and challenging times across his career.

The pictures included snaps from his first championship win, a treasured moment with F1 icon Niki Lauda and a powerful image of when he took the knee at the 2020 Austrian GP to support the Black Lives Matter movement and protest against racial injustice.

But it was the accompanying caption that Hamilton used to clap back at his critics ahead of F1 2026, writing: "20 seasons as an F1 driver. It’s hard to even grasp the reality of that number. It started with a dream. A dream some called ridiculous and said would never amount to anything. Despite that, the dream never changed, and I never stopped chasing it. A dream has to be matched with action and, above all, belief. Belief that doesn’t break no matter what’s thrown in your face or what you come up against. There will always be people who doubt you, people who try to block you, but you can’t ever stop fighting.

"20 years filled with incredible highs and brutal lows, with more mistakes than I can count. But those mistakes made the journey even sweeter. You hold the power to your destiny. Everything you need to succeed is within you. You will need help along the way, like I did, but that spark, that fire, is already inside you.

"I’m forever grateful for the lessons, the quiet moments, the chaos, and the many people who helped me chase and achieve my dreams. I’m grateful for the doubters and for the ones who tried to knock me down, too. I’m still here, 20 years on, still standing, still hungry, still focused on the dream. No holding back."

When does the 2026 F1 season start?

Lewis Hamilton will be back in action with Ferrari when the 2026 season starts in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.

The first race of the year takes place on Sunday, March 8, at 3pm local time (AEDT), 4am GMT, and 11pm ET.

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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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