Lewis Hamilton stated he’s pleased with the progress Ferrari has made so far this year, praising the positive atmosphere within the team as the second half of the F1 season gets underway this weekend at the 2026 Dutch GP.
Asked to reflect on the first half of the season, Hamilton acknowledged that Ferrari has made mistakes along the way, but stated he’s “proud” of the work that has gone into improving the car’s performance.
“We still have to continue to progress in our car,” he told the media in Zandvoort.
“We’ve definitely got lots of areas that we need to improve, but we’ve come a long, long way. And I’m really proud of the steps that we have taken coming into the season and through the season.
“I think it’s been a massive challenge for every team. Every team’s made mistakes, naturally, with new regulations. And we’ve just got to continue to chase.”
Positive atmosphere within Ferrari ahead of 2026 Dutch GP, says Hamilton
Hamilton also praised the positive, collaborative atmosphere within the team, saying: “I think everyone’s really buoyed up.
“Everyone’s really focused within the team. A lot of belief in the team, which is really amazing to see, and we’re continuously adding performance and pushing the car forward.
“So there’s not really much more that I can ask…I don’t think I can ask for any more from the team, except for we’ve just got to, into the second half of the season, try to execute better.”
While last year’s F1 round at Zandvoort proved quite disappointing for Ferrari—with both drivers retiring from the race following separate crashes—Hamilton was more optimistic about his chances at the 2026 Dutch GP.
Looking at what changed compared to last season, Hamilton pointed to the work behind the scenes. He pointed out that Ferrari had changed several aspects of its operation in an effort to improve overall performance.
“It’s a combination of a lot of things,” he said. “We’ve made a lot of changes to the car, and so it’s not just one thing, it’s all the pieces of the puzzle.
“We’ve moved a lot of things around. There’s been a lot of changes, whether it’s in engineering, processes. The design of the car is quite a lot different, obviously, in this new generation.”
Collaborative effort helped Hamilton gain confidence
Hamilton also admitted that after twelve years at Mercedes, it took some time to adjust and “get in sync” with the wider Ferrari team. He suggested that his feedback and personal preferences were taken into consideration more significantly heading into the 2026 season. The display of trust from the team and changes made to the car helped boost Hamilton’s performance, with the British driver securing his first Ferrari victory in Barcelona earlier this season.
“But we’ve made a lot of changes and I think we’re in a better place with that,” Hamilton explained ahead of the 2026 Dutch GP.
“I think we’ve got a great collaboration now. It took a good year for us to get in sync, but I think we’re there.”
Asked what had helped him gain confidence year-on-year, Hamilton credited the way the team had responded to his input.
“I think probably just that collaboration I was talking about. We’ve been moving in the right direction collectively,” he said. “The things that I’d asked for ended up getting done over time. Also, we’ve had the results, so it shows that it works. I feel like we’ve got the right formula now.”
Hamilton continued: “Now we’re doubling down on that, continuing to improve.
“Last year, one of the things I said was ‘Ferrari should be like the innovators, everyone should be following them’. This year, we’re innovators. People have been following our wing designs, the exhaust system.
“I just think we’re going in the right direction, I think we’re in a real sweet spot. We’ve just got to continue to build on this foundation that we’ve built.”
