Lewis Hamilton opens up on signing new Ferrari F1 contract

Hamilton in red Ferrari hoodie and yellow 2026 British GP cap holding Sky Sports F1 mic — Photo: © IMAGO

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton opens up on signing new Ferrari F1 contract

How long's he going to race?

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Tuesday 8 September 2026 08:15

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Lewis Hamilton has opened up on rumours of an impending contract extension with Ferrari.

The two most recent F1 world champions, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, both signed new long-term contract extensions in recent weeks, with some reports floating around that the 2020 (and 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014 and 2008) champion will be next.

It was unclear how long Hamilton's association with Ferrari would last when he joined up for the 2025 season, with conflicting reports on the length of his deal at the time. That was cleared up slightly by the Brit revealing earlier this season that his deal runs at least through 2027, with Sky Sports reporting that he has an option to run that through to 2028.

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Whatever Hamilton's motivations would be to extend now, whether that would be about stability or a wage exceeding Verstappen's new market-setting figure, rumours continue to swirl that an announcement will be made soon.

Hamilton intends to race 'for a long time'

The seven-time world champion batted away a question about nailing down his future in a recent interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica though, saying: "I still have a year ahead of me, now's not the time to focus on that.

"But I love Ferrari, I feel at home, and I intend to race for a long time. I think I'll be here even with the new rules. My goal is to try to be the best, to try to help this team get where it deserves to be."

Hamilton also explained the process of encouraging the team to make changes in their working process, saying: "It takes a lot for the team to understand what you want. It takes months and months and months to transform the flow of the machine. It takes time and also the right mindset.

"I had asked for changes last season, but the team didn't want to make too many. The idea made them nervous. They weren't ready for the new features; they'd never introduced them before.

Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari were nervous of change.

"Changing just one element isn't enough; you have to work on all of them together."

'Little by little', Hamilton changed everything

Hamilton knew what needed to be done, and set about a major programme of changes in Maranello.

"Little by little, I changed everything: brakes, chassis components, suspension, seat position, steering configuration. Using all these components, combined with improved engineering, dynamics, and communication, made the difference."

Some of the changes Hamilton brought about even had his team-mate Charles Leclerc following suit, with Lewis explaining: "Yes, it came from my side, which allows us to move the boat in the same direction".