Lewis Hamilton is all set for the 2026 Formula 1 season and returns to the spotlight with new speed and energy.
After a debut campaign with Ferrari that tested both car and character, the seven-time world champion insists that the self-doubt instilled in him last year is left in the past.
Hamilton says his off-season was about focusing on mental health and regaining the confidence that defined his career.
“It’s not my first rodeo, so it’s understanding how to turn things around and it’s not that easy to do it every time,” he explained. “But I always talk about cultivating a positive mental attitude and that’s what I focused on during my winter work.”
The racer continued: “A lot of that came from the training. So I trained hard from Christmas Day onwards, also knowing that I find it difficult. I believe in myself that I’ve put in more work than anyone around me and I believe in myself and rediscovering myself was really a big part of that.”
“I think I lost track of who I was for a second and that person is gone, so you won’t see that person again,” he explained.
Part of his transformation has been the structural changes he has made to his team, with Hamilton parting ways with race engineer Riccardo Adami after a difficult working relationship in 2025, with Ferrari’s head of remote engineering, Carlo Santi, acting as interim.
He also split from his manager Marc Hynes, now at Cadillac. Hamilton explained why these changes were necessary.
“It was just something that built up over time and I think it’s normal,” he said.
Hamilton continued: “A lot of people have that at some point in their lives. It’s important that you pick yourself back up and evaluate where you’ve been and, like I said, come back with that positive mental state of mind.”
“So I feel great coming here: the training has been fantastic, the work with the team has been great. Changes within my own personal space and in the way I interact with the team, how the team works are so much smoother than last year,” he concluded.
Lewis Hamilton goes into this weekend’s season opener in Melbourne apparently “much happier” than in 2025, with confidence in himself and in the car, a Ferrari that was partly developed with his input.
