Lewis Hamilton says there is “more to come” in 2026 after claiming his first podium for Ferrari in China, ending a 16-month drought and marking his 26th race weekend for the team. Hamilton finished third in Shanghai, behind the two Mercedes drivers, having placed fourth at the season opener in Melbourne — his best start to a season since 2021. He heads to the Japanese Grand Prix with momentum as Ferrari try to close the gap to early pacesetter Mercedes.
After Shanghai Hamilton said he feels “back to my best, both mentally and physically,” while acknowledging room for improvement. He noted he is still learning the car, particularly energy deployment, and believes he can extract more performance: “I do think there’s more to come.”
Hamilton’s demeanour has notably changed since the winter break. After a difficult 2025 that left him frustrated and eager to unplug at the end of the season, he returned with a renewed program. He described this winter as the heaviest, most intense training he’s ever done and said working with a new trainer since Christmas Day, plus time at Ferrari’s factory and a new engineer, has boosted morale. He explained that he consciously decided on Christmas Day how to approach the season mentally and has continued to refine that mindset.
The new 2026 cars also appear to suit Hamilton. The revised regulations produced narrower, lighter cars with a 50/50 split between combustion and electrical power, and while drivers disagree on the package, Hamilton has embraced the challenge after early reservations about complexity and energy rules. He praised the wheel-to-wheel racing so far and called his tussle with Charles Leclerc in China “the best racing I’ve ever experienced in F1.”
Sky Sports F1 pundit Anthony Davidson thinks the switch away from the previous ground-effect cars has made a big difference for Hamilton, suggesting the earlier generation did not suit his style. Davidson said Hamilton now seems to have his qualifying speed back and enjoys driving the new car, calling the turnaround a relief for the driver and positive for the sport. David Croft added that Hamilton having input into this year’s car — and the prospect of a permanent race engineer replacing interim Carlo Santi — matters greatly, making him feel part of the development process rather than an outsider.
Hamilton confirmed he had been heavily involved with engineers in the latter part of last year, requesting changes he didn’t influence in 2025 and then helping develop the 2026 car. Seeing those requests implemented has made him feel more united with the team and aligned in direction.
Although Hamilton’s first Ferrari podium was a milestone for him personally, Ferraris have reached the rostrum more often across his time at Maranello: Leclerc scored seven podiums in 2025 and was third in Melbourne. What Ferrari still lack are race wins — their last victory remains Carlos Sainz’s Mexico City win in October 2024, and Hamilton’s last win was in 2024. Hamilton believes a first Ferrari win is “more in sight” now than it was last year but concedes Mercedes have a clear race-trim advantage. After the opening rounds he estimates Mercedes carry “four or five tenths” over Ferrari in race pace, meaning gains in downforce, efficiency and power are needed.
Despite that gap, Hamilton expressed confidence in Ferrari’s ability to close it: “I really do believe in everyone back in Maranello and that it’s not an impossible feat to overcome. So yeah, forza Ferrari, we’ve just got to keep pushing.”
Formula 1 now heads to the Suzuka Circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix, with Sky Sports F1 covering the weekend. The article includes Sky’s broadcast schedule for the race weekend.