After his first year at Ferrari F1, Lewis Hamilton speaks on the fresh start that is the SF-26 in 2026. Hamilton knows it will be a challenge and an opportunity for the team to work together under the new regulations.
Ferrari unveiled their car livery and launched their drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc on the Fiorano track for their first taste of the SF-26. The excitement simmers as their drivers speak on the regulations for the first time this 2026 F1 season.
2026 F1 a reset for the whole grid
The seven-time world champion has been through 4 major regulation changes throughout his career. He is familiar with the effect they can have on a team and the drivers and knows it ultimately impacts the competitiveness of his season.
He mentions the gravity of the 2026 F1 regulations and emphasises that the changes will change the scene entirely.
“The regulation shift is monumental. I mean its the biggest regulation shift I think our sport has seen, at least in my time.”
The history for Hamilton in F1 regulation changes
Hamilton knows that this will be a challenge for everyone involved this 2026 F1 season. His first WDC was in 2008, one year before an all-new regulation change. He struggled in 2009 as the McLaren was miles off the pace early in the season, before car improvements allowed him to grab two wins. Ultimately Jenson Button was crowned champion that season.
“But every single time that it has been a shift into a new regulation, its been a massive challenge.”
The former Mercedes driver was only able to win another WDC after the regulations changed again in 2014. His most favorable era was the hybrid power unit one that saw him win six titles in seven seasons. He is well aware that this 2026 F1 regulation change resets the competition order for everyone on the grid.
“Everyone starts from scratch. So it really levels the playing field.”
In the first year of regulation changes, he notes that the advantage is won through fast development of the car. Hamilton has always been quite communicative about adjustments needed throughout a campaign. He believes that a unified team that continues growing throughout the 2026 F1 season will bring results.
“And then its really all about development. Who can develop faster, who comes up with the best ideas, and then a unified team growing at the same pace.”
‘The most technical year’
Speaking on the power unit, he mentions how drivers and teams struggled with the early KERS systems in 2009. That year, many drivers grappled with when to use the battery power unit, while some team struggled to get it to work.
Brawn won both titles without using it at all. Hamilton adapted faster than most, producing strong results towards the end of his season. Though he came well short of a title that year, his experience predicts the lasting impact of 2026 F1 power units.
“I think the way the sport is evolving and the way the technology has evolved into this period of time. The drivers have always if you look back at 2009, there was a period of time where we were utilising the battery power throughout the laps.”
The 2026 F1 regulations shift the balance of power from internal combustion to more electric motor. Hamilton says that this extremely different use of power will make it a very technical year for both the engineers and the drivers.
“This one’s, even more extreme, where we’re having to utilise the power in a different way. I think it’s going to be massively… I mean, it is the most technical year that we will have.”
Big pressure on the drivers
The Brit continues that the pressure on drivers to deliver good results, is amidst managing the many new components of the 2026 F1 cars. The overtake mode also brings added complexity through the aerodynamics of moving both wings. Hamilton says it will require good collaboration and communication to navigate as a team.
“I think the driver’s role is going to be critical in not only pulling laps together and delivering good results, but managing the power unit, managing the power through a lap, and also the new kind of DRS system that we have with the wings, the front and the rear wing moving, and then helping the team navigate and the only way is through collaboration and through communication. And that’s really where I think, I think the drivers get to play a key role in helping them discover exactly where we need to be going with these cars.”
The impact of the 2026 F1 regulations
The Ferrari F1 driver doesn’t see it being easy and is concentrating on adapting to the SF-26, specifically the power unit. He reaffirms that that’s what all drivers will be doing this season. Adapting is at the front of his mind given the changes and that he is still relatively new to his team.
“I think as drivers, we adapt. That’s what we do. So, I don’t see it being… It’s going to be a massive challenge this year, for sure, for every driver to adapt to, particularly the power unit.”
Aero side not a lot different
Hamilton observes that the aerodynamics won’t make a huge difference. He says that the front wing drop and lower drag in overtake mode will make the car much quicker on the straights. Ultimately, he doesn’t anticipate this area of the 2026 F1 regulations to be a focus.
“I think the, the aero side of things, I’m not seeing that to be massively different in the sense that, okay, a front wing drops away. We have a lot less drag down the straights. So it will be much, much quicker. It’s going to be interesting to see how that works when you’re potentially overtaking, but we’ve had DRS for many, many years and so I think that it’s an evolution of that.”
Going back to the power unit, he elaborates that its going to be a juggle between the battery, drag reduction and power on straights. Though it’s still a V6 turbo-hybrid, Hamilton is aiming to understand the 50/50 split early this 2026 F1 season.
“The power unit, however, is a lot lot different. And whilst it’s still the V6, recharging this battery, the D rates that you have and really trying to understand how to utilise the power per straight, and recover at the most and be the most efficient.”
Driver adjustments for Hamilton and co. ahead of the 2026 F1 season
As a seasoned driver, Hamilton knowledgeably says that this year will require drivers to be savvy, using all the tools available to them. He believes the most efficient driver will get the best results in the 2026 F1 season.
“I mean this is the period of time where you have to learn to be the most efficient driver that you’ve ever been, and that’s utilising all the tools you have in your armoury as a driver to, save fuel to recharge power, utilise the power, use the grip and put all these things together.”
After his previous race engineer was dropped, Hamilton knows he will also have to work on communicating effectively with a new race engineer. The British driver is equally putting pressure on his team to communicate well, saying that it will help drivers reach their maximum potential in the cars amidst the 2026 F1 regulation changes.
“I think it’s going to take a lot of work from the engineers to communicate and help the drivers to be able to, extract everything and its full potential.”
The red army: Tifosi
Hamilton is excited to get back to racing this 2026 F1 season, for off-track reasons too. He states he misses the Tifosi and their magical feeling. He reminisced having their loyalty since his first day with Ferrari.
“Well I miss the Tifosi, I mean, it’s magical when you’re at Ferrari and you get to experience the Tifosi. I remember my first day here, last year and at turn 1 of Fiorano seeing a crowd of the Tifosi there. That was the first feeling and the experience I had on the receiving end of that.”
He explains that they are a constant wherever he is in the world and that their support is a source of strength to everyone on the team. Hamilton is looking forward to a strong 2026 F1 season with the Tifosi by his side.
“And we see them everywhere we go all around the world, the support means a huge amount not only to the drivers, but to everyone in the team. And we couldn’t do what we do without them. Their support means the absolute most. And so I’m really hopeful that with their support and with the hard work that everyone’s putting in that, we can have a strong year, you know, that’s the dream.”
