Ferrari’s leadership broke its silence after Lewis Hamilton confessed he’s dreading the arrival of the 2026 campaign—an admission delivered in the wake of another bruising outing in Las Vegas. The seven-time champion’s weekend began in calamity, qualifying dead last after aborting his final Q1 lap, then fighting from 19th on the grid to a provisional 10th at the flag. Only the disqualifications of Norris and Piastri salvaged eighth, a cosmetic boost that did nothing to mask the underlying misery he’s endured in Ferrari red.
Hamilton’s early charge—six positions gained amid the first-corner chaos—quickly fizzled as he became trapped behind Esteban Ocon’s Haas on hard tyres. Even after switching to mediums, the Ferrari showed nothing resembling menace, leaving Hamilton marooned in traffic and increasingly desolate. His post-race interviews were unfiltered gloom: he branded the campaign “the worst season ever” and admitted he feels progressively crushed despite throwing everything he has at the machinery.
The candour didn’t stop there. Speaking again, he bluntly declared there was “nothing positive” to extract from the race and confessed he wasn’t just yearning for this season to die off—he was already bracing himself for next year with outright dread. For a team banking on the 2026 regulation reset to resurrect its competitiveness, such pessimism from its star signing lands like an alarm bell echoing through Maranello.
The timing stings even more given last week’s admonition from Ferrari chairman John Elkann, who told his drivers to quieten the commentary and sharpen their focus. Both Ferraris were wiped out in Brazil, with Hamilton nursing floor damage and Leclerc claimed in someone else’s chaos. Vegas delivered mixed fortunes: Leclerc clawed his way to fourth, while Hamilton once again sank into a mire of obstruction, frustration, and futility.
Vasseur, attempting to cool the temperature, urged restraint. He chalked Hamilton’s comments up to the raw emotion of stepping out of a disappointing race and emphasised the need for calm analysis rather than volcanic soundbites. He acknowledged Hamilton’s recent struggles but stressed the underlying pace glimpsed early in the weekend, insisting the team must reconstruct its momentum and avoid burying itself in defeatism. Starting from P20, he noted dryly, is never the gateway to heroics—yet he remains adamant Ferrari will rebound in the final two rounds.
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