Hamilton makes bold Ferrari pledge ahead of 2026 campaign

08:57, 19 Feb

Updated: 08:59, 19 Feb

bySamson Ero

Lewis Hamilton has reaffirmed that he maintains absolute confidence in the Scuderia Ferrari team ahead of the commencement of the new campaign.

“I knew it wasn't going to be an overnight thing.”

- Lewis Hamilton

The seven-time world champion, who endured a challenging debut season at the Italian outfit following his seismic switch from Mercedes, reiterated his confidence in achieving success with Ferrari.

Speaking to GPblog during the Bahrain test, Hamilton also admitted he had anticipated that success wouldn’t be achieved overnight—a factor he cited as key in his decision to join the Prancing Horse.

“My belief in the team is still absolutely the same. I just have faith in this team and what they're capable of, and that's why I joined the team,” Hamilton began.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are both not fans of the new generation of F1 cars - Photo: Racepictures

“I knew it wasn't going to be an overnight thing; we weren’t going to have success immediately. It's something that I knew, and that's why I signed—I knew what I was getting into,” he added.

The British driver concluded by stressing how pleased he was with how everyone at Ferrari is improving.

“I knew it was, more often than not, a process, and I feel like we've also learned a huge amount from last year as a team. There have been changes we've made, and everyone's constantly keen to make improvements and be better. I think we're working better together than ever before, so I'm excited for what’s ahead.”

Hamilton endured a torrid maiden season with Ferrari, failing to record a podium finish throughout the campaign, with his only success coming at the Sprint race at the Shanghai International Circuit in China.

Hamilton delighted with the SF-26

Earlier, Hamilton expressed his delight with the SF-26 challenger. The 41-year-old highlighted how satisfying it feels to have his DNA embedded in the development of the Ferrari car.

He concluded by emphasising his confidence in the design of the car, following a challenging 2025 season.