"Ferrari should be innovators" - Hamilton hails transformation after "exhausting" 2025

The seven-time world champion endured a frustrating first year with Ferrari, failing to finish on the podium throughout the entirety of the 2025 campaign and struggling to get the best out of his compared to his teammate Charles Leclerc.

This season he has outperformed the Monegasque driver, and his third podium of the season in Monaco pushed him ahead of Leclerc and the Mercedes of George Russell into second in the drivers standings. Speaking ahead of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, Hamilton has again opened up on his frustrations with the 2025 car, before expressing that he "feels so much better" with this year's SF-26.

Hamilton questioned the lack of innovation with his 2025 Ferrari car, and after a second-place finish in Monaco, he told the media ahead of this weekend's race that his team have arrived with "innovative solutions" in 2026, with more yet to come.

The Brit, who arrived with a bold new look in Barcelona, said: "Last year was a real emotional rollercoaster. You know what needs to improve, you say it loud and clear, and it doesn’t happen — either because it can’t be done immediately, or it takes time to develop, or regulations mean you have to wait until next year. It feels like banging your head against a wall, and it’s exhausting.