Lewis Hamilton has spoken out against the media for casting Ferrari in a negative light this year. According to the seven-time world champion, the ongoing criticism has taken its toll not only on the drivers but also on the rest of the team members. The Brit referred to this past weekend as ‘his toughest season ever’ in Formula 1, while simultaneously explaining that Scuderia had shifted its focus early on to 2026 and the new regulations.
Ferrari ended up in fourth place among the constructors after the GP of Qatar. This was a painful outcome, considering that the Italians narrowly missed the title last year. Lewis Hamilton, who made the spectacular transfer to Maranello this year, particularly struggled to adapt to his new environment. The 40-year-old Brit has so far not advanced beyond fourth place and was frequently overshadowed by teammate Charles Leclerc. This led to a lot of criticism from the media, and according to Hamilton, this negativity also affected the team members.
“The negativity that constantly hangs in the media affects the team,” Hamilton emphasized during the race weekend in Qatar. “They come home to their wife and she then says: ‘They are saying this or that about your work.’ I’m sure that’s tough. Also for the children, for example. That criticism simply has a huge impact on people.”
Looking Ahead to 2026
Due to their current performance, Ferrari has been focusing on the new regulations for some time, as revealed by team boss Fred Vasseur in the run-up to the Qatar Grand Prix. “McLaren was so dominant in the first races that we knew it would be a tough year,” he said during the FIA press conference. “I believe we decided as early as April to focus on 2026. Psychologically, that’s a big blow: the idea that you’re no longer developing aerodynamics with so many races still to come. But it was a team decision; the drivers were involved.”
Hamilton agreed with this sentiment. “I still have so many ideas about things we need to improve,” he said after a scoreless race in Qatar. “Time will tell whether we’re going to do something about it, whether we keep the good things and change the less good ones. There are certainly plenty of those,” he joked. “There’s literally no reason why we couldn’t improve those things if we just put them into practice. I sincerely hope we make progress.”
