– The ghosts of the past have been banished. At least that’s how it seems when you hear Lewis Hamilton speak these days. After a tiring first year at Ferrari, he is looking forward to the 2026 season with high motivation.
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And the body language of the seven-time world champion is also different. He used the winter break to pull through a tough training plan. In addition, his closest working environment was rigorously overhauled.
After a total of four mixed ground-effect years, doubts about the future of the former dominator grew. The sporting frustration was also reflected off the track. Hamilton often seemed like a shadow of his former self, fed the press with extremely brief answers, and even completely lost his composure after a Q2 exit in Hungary. (To the Formula 1 database)
The Briton described himself as “useless” and suggested that Ferrari might need a different driver. 2026 marks the final year of his current contract. Should another “disaster year” follow, a possible end to his career could realistically be on the cards.
“This person no longer exists”
But just in time for the season opener in Melbourne, the Briton is sending completely different signals. Because unlike in 2025, Hamilton is benefiting this season from his involvement in the design of the 2026 Ferrari. According to his own statement, he is coming out of a “really positive” winter break.
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Hamilton practically trained this positive approach over the winter. “This isn’t my first rodeo,” he emphasized. “I know how to flip the switch, even if it’s not easy every time. I often talk about cultivating a positive mindset, and that’s exactly what I’ve been focusing on.”
The key to this lay in relentless hard work. Hamilton was already working hard in the gym on Christmas Day. “I proved to myself that I work harder than everyone else around me. I believe in myself. Rediscovering myself was a huge part of this process.”
In any case, the Briton has finished with the demons of 2025. His challenge to the competition is clear: “I think I had lost sight of who I actually am for a brief moment. But that person is gone. You won’t see them again.”
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Leclerc doesn’t believe in a revamped Hamilton
His teammate Charles Leclerc sees this much-cited “rebirth” somewhat more soberly. He doesn’t want to hear about a changed or even completely new Hamilton. “Do I see Lewis at a different point? No, I don’t. I think he’s just highly motivated,” Leclerc puts it into perspective.
“He was already super fired up last year when he joined the team, and he’s really looking forward to the new cars now – just like me. We all just want to start this first race on the right foot.”
Expectations are often raised at Ferrari that simply do not correspond to reality. “I’ve been with this team for a few years now and I know how things work. Driving for Ferrari is something very special, but it also brings a lot of background noise with it.”
New engineer, new management
Another reason for the fresh breeze is a personnel overhaul: Hamilton’s race engineer Riccardo Adami was transferred internally. In 2025, there were often communication problems between the two. Carlo Santi, Ferrari’s head of remote engineering, is now taking over the post on the radio on an interim basis. In addition, Hamilton ended his collaboration with his manager Marc Hynes, who has since signed on with Cadillac.
When asked about the reasons for these hard cuts, the champion replied soberly: “This has built up over a long period of time, it’s completely normal. It’s important to pick yourself up again, analyze where you stand, and then return with a positive mental attitude.”
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With the revamped environment, the collaboration is now running much more smoothly. Whether highly motivated or revamped: a satisfied, motivated, and hungry Hamilton is likely to send completely different signals on the track as well.
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