Lewis Hamilton was joined by a host of celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, Kurt Russell and Anya Taylor-Joy, as he enjoyed a New Year’s Eve bash organised by Kate Hudson and Cade Hudson in Aspen, Colorado.
The seven-time world champion was pictured departing the fancy Matsuhisa restaurant before heading off to Hudson’s party to ring in 2026. Among the other celebrity guests were Bella Hadid, Elon Musk and Brooks Nader.
Hamilton will hope that 2026 brings better fortunes than 2025, which rivalled 2009 for the legendary Brit’s worst-ever Formula One season. The 40-year-old failed to score a podium in his first campaign with Ferrari, finishing sixth in the standings, just six points ahead of Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli.
As the season progressed and Hamilton’s Ferrari dream turned into a prolonged nightmare, the seven-time world champion became increasingly dejected in his post-race interviews. After the season finale in Abu Dhabi, the Stevenage-born driver expressed his desire to spend time away from the digital world during his winter break.
“At the moment I’m only looking forward to the break, just to disconnecting, not speaking to anyone,” he explained. “No one will be able to get in touch with me this winter. I won’t have my phone with me, and I’m looking forward to that. Completely unplug from the matrix. I’ve generally always had it around. But this time, it’s going in the freaking bin.”
Since then, Hamilton has been spotted enjoying some time in the United States. The Brit visited New York for a vacation, posting videos of some icy long training runs on his Instagram story, and catching up with friends.
The 40-year-old was even quizzed by some fans about his digital detox, with one X user commenting: “sir this doesn’t look like a social media detox???” Hamilton replied: “all about balance”, before confirming to another follower that his screen time had been significantly reduced.
With the new regulations in 2026, the opportunity exists for Hamilton and Ferrari to achieve the turnaround both parties desire. Team principal Fred Vasseur even confessed after the 2025 season concluded that he had underestimated the challenge for the Brit after his switch.
“It was difficult for Lewis,” he said at a Ferrari event. “I personally underestimate the step. It’s not that we are doing worse or better; it’s that we are just doing differently. It’s not just about the food or the weather; it’s that every single software is different, every single component is different. The people around him, they were different.”