New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\nIt took him 26 attempts, many of which were somewhere between underwhelming and soul-crushing. His difficult 2025 season at times appeared to have the seven-time champion questioning his own abilities and doubting whether he was the right man for the job.<\/p>\n
Standing on the podium in Shanghai, though, all those worries had evaporated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been pushing for a podium,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the hardest thing just to get a podium compared to a lot through my career, and it was the biggest challenge to get that, and I just had to bide my time.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter a difficult year last year, to be able to be a part of developing with them, working with them over the past year, gives me huge pride, and it\u2019s such a privilege to be a part of this brand.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very special day.\u201d<\/p>\n
PIT TALK PODCAST: Andrea Kimi Antonelli becomes Formula 1\u2019s 116th winner after claiming his maiden grand prix victory in China at the weekend, but it\u2019s disaster for McLaren \u2014 and for Oscar Piastri, who\u2019s now yet to start a grand prix in 2026 after a technical problem on the grid.<\/p>\n
Before China, Hamilton had held the unwanted record of having started the most races for Ferrari without scoring a podium. Third place in Shanghai converted that record into the longest wait for a podium in Ferrari history, eclipsing Didier Pironi, who claimed a trophy in his 19th race for the team.<\/p>\n
Pironi\u2019s first podium \u2014 a win at the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix \u2014 came early in his second Ferrari season. No driver who scored a podium with Ferrari had to wait longer than a year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started this voyage and this dream of moving to Ferrari and being on the top step with them, and this podium has taken longer than I had hoped,\u201d Hamilton said.<\/p>\n
The next step of the journey \u2014 the next step towards victories and perhaps the title \u2014 begins now.<\/p>\n
‘Sport at it’s best’ Skaife on feud | 06:00<\/p>\n
FRESH START<\/p>\n
Hamilton\u2019s turnaround from 2025 has only just begun, but already the difference is stark.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to work hard to read Hamilton\u2019s emotions. He wears his heart on his sleeve.<\/p>\n
Gone is last year\u2019s gloominess, the perpetual pessimism that became so heavy that he willed last season to end.<\/p>\n
Returned is the buoyancy indicative of the Briton enjoying his craft again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I came into the season with the confidence that I used to have, and I think I\u2019ve stuck at it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing into the season, I really cultivated that really positive mental attitude and I\u2019m taking that forward with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s showing in his results \u2014 or, rather, his results are powering his emotional rebound.<\/p>\n
Of course the sample size isn\u2019t large, but after two grands prix, Hamilton and Leclerc are separated by only 0.07 seconds on average in qualifying, having started ahead of each other once apiece. They\u2019ve beaten each other once apiece too, swapping between third and fourth in Australia and China.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s inexact given race circumstances, Hamilton has been at least as quick as Leclerc when analysing their race pace over the last two Sundays.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s much closer to what had been expected of him upon joining Ferrari last season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely feel like I\u2019m back to my best, both mentally and physically,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201c[And] I still think there\u2019s room to improve.<\/p>\n
\u201cTraining this winter has been the heaviest and the most intense that I\u2019ve ever had, and that probably comes hand-in-hand with being older \u2014 it takes longer to recover \u2014 but I\u2019ve managed to pull these new tools together.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen the time at the factory, obviously new engineer, and that\u2019s obviously been a real good boost as well. Great morale within the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just decided on Christmas Day how I was going to start this season. I decided what I was going to do mentally and I\u2019m going to continue to tweak that. I do think there\u2019s more to come.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I can still eke out more performance from this car. I\u2019m still learning about it as I go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alonso retires with vibration issues | 00:23<\/p>\n
FRESH CAR<\/p>\n
Of course if elite-level performance were as simple as having a positive mindset, then Hamilton would never have found himself in the depths he did last year.<\/p>\n
Something material has changed in the way he\u2019s working with Ferrari.<\/p>\n
There are two elements to this.<\/p>\n
One was always out of his and the team\u2019s hands: the regulations.<\/p>\n
Hamilton\u2019s driving style was never a match for the ground-effect era. Part of the secret to the seven-time champion\u2019s speed is his late-braking technique, which loads up the front axle to let the rear begin to rotate into the corner while still in the entry phase.<\/p>\n
It was incompatible with the way a ground-effect car needed to be driven. The super-stiff suspension set-up \u2014 designed to keep the car low and level \u2014 wouldn\u2019t accept being loaded up in the same way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not a single thing I\u2019ll miss about these cars,\u201d he said at the end of last season. \u201cThis generation was probably the worst one, I would say.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2026 rules abandon ground-effect aerodynamics in favour of a philosophy much more reminiscent of the preceding generation \u2014 what could be considered a more conventional modern Formula 1 car.<\/p>\n
Suddenly Hamilton is able to express himself behind the wheel again.<\/p>\n
But there is a second critical element to this. Capitalising on the new rules and using his status as a Ferrari incumbent, the 2026 car has been designed with his input.<\/p>\n
\u201cMid to end of last year [I was] digging deep with the engineers and talking to them about the things that I wanted from a car that I didn\u2019t have any part of developing last year to then develop the car with them this year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see them listen and put some of those things that I\u2019d asked for on the car, I\u2019m incredibly grateful to them for listening on that side of things.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just makes you feel more united with everyone because you\u2019re moving in the same direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Combined with his input on reorganising the team and its processes appearing to have been taken on board \u2014 he\u2019s at least getting a new permanent race engineer later this season \u2014 and Hamilton is looking at home in Maranello.<\/p>\n
Antonelli claims Chinese GP | 02:23<\/p>\n
FRESH ENGINE?<\/p>\n
After last year\u2019s season of torment, Hamilton is optimistic race wins are in his future again.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more in sight than ever before,\u201d he said. \u201cLast year it couldn\u2019t have been further from view.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he admitted that Mercedes is setting a high bar to clear for race victories, having swept both grands prix and one sprint easily.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the race trim I think [Mercedes] have got 0.4 of 0.5 seconds on us at the moment. That\u2019s a huge step to pick up, both in downforce and efficiency and also power,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s a huge upgrade that we need to push for.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I really do believe in everyone back in Maranello and that it\u2019s not an impossible feat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve just got to keep pushing.\u201d<\/p>\n
But simply saying Mercedes is faster isn\u2019t enough to describe what\u2019s happening at the front of the field.<\/p>\n
In Shanghai, for example, Ferrari was in the ballpark in the opening two sectors, which comprise most of the circuit\u2019s corners. It was only really in the final sector, dominated by the long back straight, that Ferrari\u2019s deficit blew out to almost 0.4 seconds in qualifying.<\/p>\n
Ferrari appears to have the best aerodynamic package on the grid, but Mercedes\u2019s power unit is effective enough to overcome that advantage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese guys are pulling past us at crazy speeds,\u201d Hamilton said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven that they\u2019ve gone for a different option where they have more power, we\u2019ve got to figure out how we can improve our straight-line speed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Power unit performance is decisive to lap time this year in a way it\u2019s never been before.<\/p>\n
The combustion engine charges the battery at various points around the lap, particularly at the end of the straights and through fast corners. The more the battery is charged, the faster the car is down the straights. The faster the car is down the straights, the more it can divert combustion power to the battery.<\/p>\n
The process becomes a virtuous cycle such that any gain in engine performance can exponentially increase overall car performance.<\/p>\n
The problem for Ferrari \u2014 and for every other engine manufacturer \u2014 is that engine development is banned during the season.<\/p>\n
The only exception is if the FIA deems an engine to be more than 2 per cent off the pace, in which case one in-season upgrade is permitted this year. Two upgrades are allowed for engines that are 4 per cent behind the benchmark.<\/p>\n
Ferrari on average has been only 0.87 per cent slower than Mercedes in qualifying so far this year, and in grand prix qualifying in China that margin was just 0.38 per cent.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why it\u2019s so interesting that team boss Fred Vasseur said he would be in line for at least once upgrade this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would prefer to be a bit faster,\u201d he said, per The Race. \u201cWe know that we have a deficit of performance mainly in the straight line that we have to work on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c[We] will have the ADUO [additional design and upgrade opportunities] at one stage, and the addition of the ADUO will be an opportunity for us to close the gap.\u201d<\/p>\n
The FIA\u2019s ADUO metric measures engine performance independent of the chassis, but the formula it uses is secret.<\/p>\n
But if Vasseur is right and Ferrari\u2019s engine will qualify for at least one upgrade this year, it raises some fascinating questions about the relative qualities of Ferrari and Mercedes\u2019s cars \u2014 and about what the form guide might look like if the Italian manufacturer were able to zero the gap with one upgrade.<\/p>\n
Electrical issue ends Piastri’s race | 00:59<\/p>\n
FRESH STATISTICS<\/p>\n
ADUO assessments were to be made once every six rounds \u2014 once per quarter \u2014 but the governing body is reportedly considering how to realign those deadlines after Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were dropped from the schedule. Whatever the case, it won\u2019t be instant, with an upgrade likely months away.<\/p>\n
But Ferrari is still close enough to be in the ballpark for victory.<\/p>\n
The tighter and twistier the track, the more Ferrari\u2019s advantages come to the fore and the less Mercedes\u2019s strengths can be exploited.<\/p>\n
Monaco, for example, is surely circled in the team\u2019s calendar.<\/p>\n
It means that regardless of whether this becomes a season featuring multiple wins and even a title tilt, Hamilton can still pursue that elusive first victory for Ferrari.<\/p>\n
With 26 rounds already under his belt, only three drivers have waited longer than Hamilton for their first red win: Jean Alesi, who won his 68th race in his fifth season; Eddie Irvine, who won his 50th race in his fourth season; and Carlos Sainz, who won his 32nd races in his second season.<\/p>\n
Hamilton will start his 32nd race for Ferrari at the Austrian Grand Prix later this year.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s of course a chance that Hamilton and Ferrari can\u2019t pull it off. Of the 71 drivers who have started at least one grand prix for Maranello, 30 left without winning a race in red \u2014 and only two of them started more races for the team than Hamilton has: Stefan Johansson, who started 31 grands prix in 1985\u201386; and Chris Amon, who started 27 grands prix in 1967\u201369.<\/p>\n
The common thread between them \u2014 and between them and Hamilton \u2014 is that they raced in red during an uncompetitive Ferrari era.<\/p>\n
Ferrari won just two races during Johansson\u2019s time, and the team claimed just one victory during Amon\u2019s tenure.<\/p>\n
The Ferrari of Hamilton\u2019s era is yet to win a race at all.<\/p>\n
Though they already own almost every meaningful stat in the record book, Hamilton and Ferrari\u2019s next victory is their statistical final frontier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lewis Hamilton is statistically the greatest driver of all time, with more poles, wins and podiums than any…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":551357,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[272705,2620,12295,1724,64,63,689,18503,24562,272711,132224,268803,4971,512,264166,272712,268809,84696,262498,39732,272706,9239,218390,268797,268808,179940,192246,16195,81126,272701,272693,2057,817,845,22756,813,816,13276,841,18901,272708,21782,14211,49577,49575,272714,272698,91063,21785,677,272699,84599,272707,272713,2119,255099,18923,207079,272696,272703,21749,272697,272704,16193,272710,272700,931,14640,22305,4933,3595,272709,85,272694,272695,28099,272702,74823,272715,12000],"class_list":["post-551356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-abandon-ground-effect-aerodynamics","tag-agence-france-presse","tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-driver","tag-british-driver","tag-buoyancy-indicative","tag-car-performance","tag-car-vibrations","tag-carlos-sainz","tag-china","tag-chinese-grand","tag-chris-amon","tag-claims-chinese","tag-combustion-engine","tag-combustion-power","tag-didier-pironi","tag-driver-statistics","tag-eastern-asia","tag-eddie-irvine","tag-electrical-issue","tag-electrical-issue-ends","tag-elite-level-performance","tag-engine-development","tag-engine-manufacturer","tag-engine-performance","tag-engine-performance-independent","tag-entry-phase","tag-europe","tag-f1","tag-fernando-alonso","tag-final-sector","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-fred-vasseur","tag-grand-prix","tag-grand-prix-qualifying","tag-grand-prix-rostrum","tag-grand-prix-victory","tag-grands-prix","tag-greg-baker","tag-ground-effect-era","tag-in-season-upgrade","tag-italian-manufacturer","tag-jean-alesi","tag-maiden-grand-prix","tag-oceania","tag-optimistic-race-wins","tag-pannel-chat","tag-permanent-race-engineer","tag-perpetual-pessimism","tag-pit-talk","tag-positive-mindset","tag-power-unit","tag-power-unit-performance","tag-processes-appearing","tag-race-circumstances","tag-race-pace","tag-race-victories","tag-red-win","tag-regulation-changes","tag-relative-qualities","tag-rules-abandon","tag-san-marino","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-seven-time-champion","tag-shanghai","tag-southern-europe","tag-special-day","tag-sports","tag-statistical-final-frontier","tag-stefan-johansson","tag-straight-line-speed","tag-super-stiff-suspension-set-up","tag-the-race","tag-walkinshaw-amp-whincup","tag-western-asia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=551356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551356\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/551357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=551356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=551356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=551356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n