After the worst year of his career, zero podiums and sixth place, Lewis Hamilton changes everything. 2026 will be decisive for him and for Ferrari
For someone like Lewis Hamilton, to have zero podiums in his career with Ferrari it must burn even more than ethyl alcohol once did on a wound to be disinfected. We are talking about a seven-time world champion (winner with two different teams, McLaren and Mercedes), who has demonstrated many things in his career, at least until 2021, when he lost the world championship on the last lap of the last race against the emerging player (later revealed to be an absolute phenomenon) Max Verstappen.
Yet, the Briton ended 2025 in sixth place in the drivers’ championship, clearly beaten by his teammate Charles Leclerc and light years away from the dreams of glory that had accompanied his landing in red. A season that Lewis himself defined as “a kind of nightmare”, the worst of his career. But Hamilton isn’t exactly the type to give up. And, with a view to 2026, i announced changes they make Ferrari fans not dream (we don’t want to exaggerate) but at least hope to see a very different season, both at driver and team level.
The revolution in the Ferrari garage
The first move was to cut the umbilical cord with Riccardo Adami, the track engineer who never found the right chemistry with Lewis. Since the first Australian Grand Prix, the radio conversations between the two have betrayed a broken relationship: delayed messages, opaque strategies, a procedural rigidity that clashed with the Hamilton method. Accustomed to the symbiotic relationship with Peter Bonnington in Mercedesthe English have poorly digested the philosophy of “it has always been done this way”. Ferrari understood and placed Adami at the helm of the Driver Academy. Instead it will arrive in its place Cedric Michel-Grosjeantaken from McLaren where he forged Oscar Piastri. A clear signal: that of a Hamilton who wants to have a say.
Hamilton and the farewell to the faithful Marc Hynes
The “revolution” is not destined to stop on track. According to the Daily Mail, in fact, Hamilton will also separate from Marc Hynes, historic manager and friend since the days of the minor formulas. Hynes, a former Formula 3 driver and CEO of “Project 44”, Lewis’ management company, had followed the Englishman to Maranello to manage logistics and racing affairs. Now it will pass to the team Cadillacwhich debuts this year in the top category. A choice without controversy, but still symbolic: apparently, Hamilton intends to completely redesign his entourage.
The new Ferrari
But Hamilton’s real wild card is the regulatory revolution 2026, one of the most radical in the history of F1. Lighter cars, new engines, overturned aerodynamics: a clean slate on which (also thanks to talent and experience) a real recovery can be built. Lewis actively influenced the development of the SF-26, dictating specifications on power units, suspension, braking balance, even the ergonomics of the steering wheel controls. The private tests in Spain have boosted his morale: the car seems to respond promptly. Him, at least for the moment, too.
This year there are no declared objectives, we are keeping a low profile (and this could be good, for Hamilton and Ferrari). Of course, to surpass the record of seven world championships of a legend like Michael Schumacheryou will need something truly special. At the moment, no one really expects it. 2026, however, will be the year of truth, there is no doubt about this. The decisive year to understand whether Ferrari made a mistake by hiring a substantially “boiled” driver, or whether new stimuli, new rules and a new car were needed to see the real Hamilton. The answer will come on the track where, in the end, only victories count.
