Hamilton: "Worst Season Ever" comment should spark Ferrari's 2026 fears

As someone who has got to witness first hand the majority of his 105 wins in F1, the current situation seems almost unfathomable.

It was somewhat inevitable that following his switch to Ferrari this season it would take some time to acclimatise. Michael Schumacher experienced something similar when he moved to Ferrari from Benetton in 1996 and had to adapt to the culture within the team before winning the title with them in 2000.

That being said, results were not nearly as bad as Hamilton is currently experiencing. After initially finishing 10th in Las Vegas before the two McLarens were disqualified - nine places up on where he started - he said: "I feel terrible.

Hamilton then delivered another concerning assessment. Speaking to the BBC, he said: "It's a terrible result. There is nothing positive to take from today.

When asked if that meant he was not looking forward to the next race in Qatar, Hamilton replied: "Next season."

His words - kept to a minimum - should send shivers down the back of Ferrari chairman, John Elkann, who had warned his drivers about talking too much in public about the team’s current plight.

Elkann, no doubt alarmed by Ferrari’s significant drop in share price that threatens the car company’s future plans, would be foolhardy to ignore the words from the seven-time F1 world champion.

Instead of urging them to stay silent in their criticism, maybe it is time to listen for their feedback into what is going wrong. Hamilton’s poor result in Vegas could be pinpointed to his dreadful qualifying session where he seemed to mistakenly believe the light at the finishing line was red, preventing him from doing another flying lap.

TV replays has since proven otherwise, and indeed it was more than likely to be an error on his behalf. That said, his teammate Charles Leclerc was equally scathing. "It's not a good result, P6 is very disappointing. On another note I felt like it was probably the best race of the season in terms of personal performance.

These are worrying times for Ferrari. Despite Elkann’s public support for the team principal, Fred Vasseur, results have been dreadful. And at a time when the regulations have remained stable when they should have had complete understanding of their F1 car.

It does not bode well for 2026, when the sport will undergo it’s biggest rule change in its history, with new power unit and chassis regulations. Put simply, Ferrari cannot afford to fall behind in either department.

Hamilton’s raw honesty, his desire for the season to simply end isn't just a driver struggling; it's a champion confronting a crisis of confidence in a new, unyielding environment. Elkann and Ferrari cannot simply dismiss these concerns as emotional outbursts; they are an urgent, seven-time world champion's plea for systemic change.

The question is no longer how long Hamilton can endure this form, but rather: How much longer can Ferrari afford to ignore the uncomfortable truth he is delivering? The clock for 2026 starts now.

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