Lewis Hamilton is not one to sit around and be fine with a P5 finish. He left Mercedes after winning six driver’s titles because he didn’t think they could help him win his eighth championship. Now he’s with Ferrari, and things aren’t going as well as he hoped, so he’s taking matters into his own hands.
Before the Belgian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton spoke extensively on his work behind closed doors. He said he’s held multiple meetings with the heads of the team to discuss next year’s car and what they need to change heading into the new regulations.
Lewis Hamilton’s meetings with Ferrari’s head personnel
While the 2025 season is still underway, teams are in the thick of designing their 2026 car. With the new regulations, a lot is going to change, so they need to make sure they have a firm grasp on the new regulations before the season begins.
Since arriving in Maranello, Hamilton has been hands-on with the team about the 2026 car. Prior to the Belgian Grand Prix, Hamilton told the media he’s held a lot of meetings with the higher-ups at Ferrari in order to make sure they have the best car for next year.
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“I hold a lot of meetings, so I’ve called on lots of meetings with the heads of the team. I’ve sat with John [Elkann, president], Benedetto [Vigna, CEO], and Fred [Vasseur, team principal] in several meetings. I’ve sat with the head of our car development, with Loic [Serra, technical director for chassis], also the heads of different departments.
“We’re talking about the engine for next year, talking about front suspension for next year, talking about rear suspension for next year; things that you want, issues that I have with this car.
“Some of it is structural adjustments that we need to make as a team in order to get better in all the areas that we want to improve. The other one was really about the car, the current issues that I have with this car. Some things you do want to take onto the next year’s car and some that you need to work on changing for next year.”
The start of 2026 will be very interesting for Ferrari. Four teams will start with the Mercedes power unit – Mercedes, McLaren, Williams and Alpine – while only Ferrari and Haas will have the Ferrari power unit. If Ferrari can deliver and have the better PU early in the new regs, they’ll have a massive upper hand on the rest of the field.
Ferrari’s need to win soon
When speaking with the media on Thursday, Hamilton also talked about Ferrari’s need to win soon. He came to Ferrari to win them their first championship in nearly two decades, but even he admits time is running out.
“I’m here to win. I don’t have much time, so it is crunch time.”
If Hamilton can help deliver Ferrari’s first championship since 2007, he will further cement his case as the greatest of all time. The question is, can he do it, or will he run out of time?
