Lewis Hamilton says he would still make the move to Ferrari even knowing what a difficult year was ahead, as he goes in search of his first podium for the team at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Ferrari was fighting for the constructors’ championship last season but has taken a step back relative to its rivals this year, failing to win a race so far with two rounds remaining. Hamilton has a Sprint win and top three, however he’s yet to finish on the podium in a grand prix. But despite frustration over how 2025 has panned out he says he would go through it all again.
“Well firstly, that’s a hypothetical question so I wouldn’t really go into that, but I would absolutely [still have moved from Mercedes],” Hamilton said. “I don’t regret the decision I made joining the team, I know it takes time to build and grow within an organization and I expected that. So yes.
“The passion is the most special thing about the brand and the people that work for it. And then the tifosi as we travel around the world, the amazing support that we get.
“I think that probably makes it even harder when we have the harder and more difficult weekends, because you can see how passionate, how dedicated, and how hard every single person is working back at the factory, and the results are not reflecting or rewarding them. So you feel it more. It’s a big emotional bubble and that’s quite precious.”
Following a disappointing Las Vegas Grand Prix, Hamilton described this year as the worst season ever and suggested he was not looking forward to 2026, but he downplayed those comments in Qatar.
“I think probably at this stage I’d be surprised if the other drivers are excited about next year at the end of a season, because you usually don’t have a lot of energy at the end of a season. You’re looking forward to time with family and stuff,” he said.
“That’s just in the heat of frustration. Often there’s a lot of frustration at the end of races, particularly when they haven’t gone well, so I’m excited to see what the team build next year and to continue to build on it with them.
“I definitely think we have a lot of work to do, for sure. Over the winter we’ll analyze the season and there there’s lots of improvements we need to make collectively, but I think no one’s under any illusion in the team that we all have to play a part, and I believe that we can. So I’m hoping we implement and make those changes along with hopefully a better package for next year.”
