Lewis Hamilton wants his DNA in 2026 Ferrari amidst 2025 struggles

Lewis Hamilton is already looking ahead to Ferrari's 2026 Formula 1 challenger, declaring his intent to embed "some of my DNA" into its design, while simultaneously voicing significant criticism regarding the balance of the team's current 2025 car. The seven-time world champion has endured a challenging debut campaign with Ferrari since his high-profile move from Mercedes, notably remaining without a single Grand Prix podium finish at the halfway mark of the season.

While Hamilton has been outshone by his teammate Charles Leclerc, who sits a place above him in the Drivers' Championship with four podium finishes, Ferrari's overall performance has fallen considerably short of pre-season expectations. Despite a series of recent upgrades appearing to improve the SF-25, Hamilton revealed ongoing discussions with Ferrari chassis technical director Loic Serra. Their focus is on replacing what Hamilton perceives as unwelcome "characteristics" of the current car with elements he finds more favorable for his driving style.

Speaking ahead of the British Grand Prix, Hamilton elaborated on his struggles: "This year with this car, we have lots of different tools and ways in which we can set the car up. Charles has been here for a long time, and he's been a part of evolving and developing this car, and he's very accustomed to it."

He continued, "He's found one way which the car works. I've tried all the other directions that should work but they just don't for whatever reasons. And I've slowly migrated to the place where Charles does run the car, and last week our pace was the closest it's been."

Hamilton made it clear that while progress is being made, the fundamental issues persist. "It's still tough. It's a tough balance to drive and it's not a comfortable one. It's not one that I want to have in future," he stated. "So I'm working with Loic (Serra) and all the guys at the factory to make sure that the next car will have some of my DNA, and hopefully we'll be able to get some of the characteristics that I'm hoping to have in it next year."

'Ferrari can download a lot from Silverstone'

Despite his challenges, the British Grand Prix offered some glimmers of hope and crucial learning opportunities for Hamilton and Ferrari. At Silverstone, Hamilton managed to match his best Grand Prix finish of the season for the second successive race, crossing the line in fourth place. In stark contrast, teammate Leclerc endured a nightmare afternoon in the wet conditions, finishing a distant 14th.

Ferrari had also shown promising pace in the dry during Friday and Saturday's sessions at Silverstone, delivering their best performance of the season. Both cars were highly competitive in practice before finishing qualifying just a couple of tenths off pole position.

Hamilton admitted the race itself was "extremely difficult" as he struggled to control the car in the wet, but he believes he gained valuable insights that could inform the 2026 car design. "I think what's positive this weekend is that in practice I was right there. I was much more happy with the car balance in the dry," he noted. "And then in qualifying, we were much, much stronger."

He concluded, "I think there's lot of positives, and also, on a race like this, while it's not great, you can download a lot. I feel like I know how to explain to the team what I don't want built in next year's car. What we have right now makes it so difficult to drive, particularly in these conditions." Hamilton's pointed comments underscore his determination to leave a significant imprint on Ferrari's future machinery, hoping to engineer a return to championship contention.