Lewis Hamilton has explained how behind-the-scenes changes at Ferrari have allowed him to be in a “really happy place.”
The seven-time champion struggled badly during his first season with the Scuderia, and branded himself “useless” following a particularly galling qualifying in Hungary where he was only 12th on the grid – before going on to end the year without a podium finish and three successive Q1 exits.
Over the winter, Hamilton changed his race engineer, with Riccardo Adami being moved off his car, with the two having failed to gel as Kimi Raikkonen’s former race engineer Carlo Santi stepped in.
That, coupled with ‘internal changes’ has unlocked the “best-ever” feeling for Hamilton at Maranello, with the team looking to catch pace-setters Mercedes in the constructors’ standings.
am in a really happy place,” Hamilton told media, including RacingNews365.
“With the team, it has taken a long time to adjust, on both sides, and it was a difficult season last year with the car that we weren’t developing.
“But we’ve made so many changes internally, both within the team and how we operate back at the factory, and it is like the best it’s ever been in terms of how we work together.
“Perhaps there are a couple of sponsor commitments too many, but otherwise, it is really good.”
When Lewis Hamilton finally completed his long-awaited move to Ferrari in 2025, it looked like the perfect marriage between a proven champion and the most storied team in Formula 1.
The idea was for the seven-time world champion to chase his elusive eighth title while clad in red, however, as the 2026 season progresses, the narrative has turned into one of struggle, sparking debate about Hamilton’s future at Maranello and even in the sport itself.
His tense head-to-head battle with teammate Charles Leclerc has been particularly revealing, with Hamilton frequently second-best to the younger Monegasque driver in both qualifying and race pace.
Indeed, despite being listed among the early favourites to win the Drivers’ Championship outright on the F1 betting platforms listed on MansionBet Canada, Hamilton now finds himself well out of the reckoning, with Leclerc and others outclassing the 41-year-old.
Hamilton and Ferrari: conversations about decline
More than one respected voice in the paddock has been addressing the Hamilton question, with some viewing current developments as the natural cycle that comes towards the end of any driver’s career.
Former Mercedes and Ferrari engineer Aldo Costa, who played key roles in both Michael Schumacher’s and Hamilton’s peak championship-winning eras, had a measured but realistic take on the situation.
Speaking on the ‘Terruzzi racconta’ podcast, Costa said that he hoped Hamilton would achieve his dream eighth title with the Scuderia, however, he also noted that every driver eventually reaches a point where their performance begins to decline.
Ralf Schumacher meanwhile, has been blunter in his assessment. While in conversation on Sky Deutschland’s Backstage Boxengasse podcast, Schumacher suggested that both Hamilton and another veteran, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), should consider stepping aside to make way for the next generation at the end of 2026.
That pattern of late decline is a familiar one in Formula 1. Legends like Schumacher, in his Mercedes return, Sebastian Vettel in his later years and Kimi Räikkönen in retirement all faced similar scrutiny.
F1 moves quickly and drivers who stay too long can find themselves outpaced by technology, data-driven approaches and fresh talent who are more fluent in modern simulator work and complex car dynamics.
Regulations Expose Ferrari’s Challenges
The radical 2026 technical regulations have also played their part in Hamilton’s regression. The major changes to chassis and power unit architecture have made for a testing environment for all teams, though Ferrari have been feeling the strain more than most.
While rivals Mercedes have been setting the pace, Ferrari has struggled for consistency. Innovative rotating rear wing concepts were debuted in Miami, though they didn’t have the desired effect with Hamilton placing 6th and Leclerc finishing further down in 8th.