Lewis Hamilton is all ready for the 2026 Formula 1 season, returning 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 the self-doubt that was instilled in him last year, has been left behind in the past.
Hamilton says his off-season was about focusing on mental health and reclaiming the confidence that defined his career.
“It’s not my first rodeo, so it’s understanding how to flip things and it’s not that easy to do each time,” he explained. “But I always talk about cultivating a positive mental attitude and that’s what I focused on my winter doing.”
The racer continued, “A lot of it came from training. So, I was training hard from Christmas day, also knowing that I find it hard. I believe in myself that I’ve put more work in than anyone around me and I believe in myself and rediscovering myself was really a big part of it as well.”
“I think I kind of lost sight for a second of who I was and that person’s gone, so you won’t see that person again,” he explained.
Part of his transformation is the structural changes he 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, stepping in 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 a period of time and I think it’s normal,” he said.
Hamilton continued, “Lots of people have that at some point through their lives. It’s important that you pick yourself back up and you evaluate where you’ve been and as I said, come back with that positive mental frame of mind.”
“So, I feel great arriving here: training has been fantastic, the work with the team has been amazing. Changes within my own personal space and in how I interact with the team, how the team is working is so much smoother than it was last year,” he concluded.
Lewis Hamilton enters this weekend’s season opener in Melbourne seemingly “much happier” than he did in 2025, confident in both himself and the car, a Ferrari developed in part with his input.