Lewis Hamilton fully agreed with Ferrari’s early decision to sacrifice the 2025 season for 2026. The Scuderia decided as early as April to shift their focus to the next season, resulting in a long period without significant updates for the SF-25. Team boss Frédéric Vasseur was concerned about the potential ‘psychological effect’ this might have on the team, but Hamilton reassured him: ‘I believe everyone has remained very positive.’
While 2025 was not the worst season ever for Ferrari – for instance, the Scuderia only managed to secure three podium finishes in 2020, although that season was shorter due to the coronavirus pandemic – it is a year the Italian racing team would rather forget. Ferrari shifted their focus to 2026 early in the year – in April – due to the dominance of rival McLaren. The development of the SF-25 was halted at that point, while competitors continued to tweak their cars.
Team boss Frédéric Vasseur stated in October that he may have underestimated the psychological impact of not implementing significant improvements to the SF-25 over such a long period. Lewis Hamilton, in the end, did not finish on the podium in any main race throughout the entire season.However, he reassures Vasseur. “It didn’t have a psychological effect on me personally,” Hamilton confirms to the media in Abu Dhabi. “Did I know at the end of the year that we would be where we are now? No. We had expected it, but it naturally felt worse.” The driver finished the season in sixth place in the drivers’ championship, trailing teammate Charles Leclerc by 86 points. Ferrari finished fourth in the constructors’ championship, behind the other three top teams.
‘Right Decision’
However, Hamilton has no regrets about the decision to sacrifice the 2025 season. “I was the one who insisted on it,” continues the seven-time world champion. “We couldn’t lag behind the others in terms of developing the new car, because it’s a steep learning curve for all of us. And so I supported it one hundred percent. I still think it was the right decision, especially considering where we already were with the car. We weren’t fighting for the championship.” According to the driver, the disappointing results during the rest of the season were not demotivating. “I think everyone stayed very positive, so I didn’t see any psychological impact.”
