Lewis Hamilton sent message by Ferrari boss as Max Verstappen shows true colours | F1 | Sport
Lewis Hamilton has been told by Ferrari chief Fred Vasseur that the 2026 season will be “completely different” to the last one due to impending F1 regulation changes. The seven-time world champion endured a nightmare debut season with the Scuderia as he failed to claim a single podium finish for the first time in his career.
Hamilton left Mercedes to sign for Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season as he linked up with Charles Leclerc at the Italian team. But the Briton could only muster 156 points throughout the campaign as he finished sixth in the Drivers’ Championship standings. Leclerc also endured a tough year on the track as he finished just ahead of Hamilton in the F1 pecking order.
Ferrari turned their attention to developing their 2026 car as early as April after realising they would not be in the 2025 title race.
And after being asked by Sky Italy to reveal the message he has given his drivers ahead of next season, Vasseur explained: “The end-of-year message – but I think we’ve spent so many hours together that we’re completely aligned – is that we all know the season wasn’t good.
“We’ve had time to discuss why. But the message is that 2026 is a completely different story. New chassis, new engine, new battery, new fuel [and] new tyres. New everything.”
The team principal added: “I think 2026 is a great opportunity for all the teams on the grid, including us. We focused our attention on this project.
“There is good collaboration between the chassis and engine parts. It’s a real challenge, but also a great opportunity from an engineering point of view.
“Let’s see where we will be in Bahrain with the tests and then in Australia. I think it will be a completely different season than this one that has just ended.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull star Max Verstappen showed his true colours as he declared that Hamilton’s struggles had hurt him personally.
Verstappen narrowly beat Hamilton to the 2021 world title after clinching victory at the season-defining Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Dutchman has enjoyed much better fortunes than Hamilton since that campaign as he has gone on to win another three championships. And the Red Bull man will be desperate to rival the veteran’s seven world titles in the coming years.
But Verstappen admitted during an interview with Viaplay: “It hasn’t been a nice season for him at Ferrari. You notice that with everything.”
The 28-year-old then added: “To be honest, it hurts my heart as well. It’s not nice to see. So quitting? I don’t know, he doesn’t give up, so he’ll definitely be there [next year]. But it’s not nice to see.”
