Lewis Hamilton offered a cryptic assessment of Ferrari’s chances of returning to form in 2026, stating that ‘time will tell’ whether or not the legendary Italian constructor will ‘act on the notes’ that he has prepared on the SF-25’s behaviour.
At the front of the field, Max Verstappen’s seventh win of the season ensured that three drivers will travel to Abu Dhabi with the opportunity to become world champion. For Hamilton, a man with seven F1 titles of his own, the Qatar Grand Prix will join the ever-growing list of races to forget in 2025.
The seven-time world champion’s weekend was effectively over before it began after back-to-back Q1 eliminations in the sprint and Grand Prix qualifying. On Sunday, he crossed the line in 12th, while team-mate Charles Leclerc was only able to salvage four points, aided by DNFs for Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly, who started ahead.
Hamilton has now failed to score a top-seven finish in the last four Grands Prix, with his slide coinciding with Ferrari’s alarming performance dip. The Scuderia are now resigned to a fourth-place Constructors’ Championship finish as a result of Verstappen’s run of nine straight podiums.
Addressing the Grand Prix in his interview with Sky Sports F1, Hamilton said: “I feel fine. I had a good first lap, moved some places up and then was really unfortunate with the safety car. I enjoyed it as much as I could.”
Looking ahead to the start of the new technical regulations in 2026, Hamilton offered a cryptic assessment. “It has definitely been the most challenging year, both in and out of the car,” he continued.
“I’ve got so many notes in terms of things we need to improve on. Time will tell whether or not we act on those things, if we keep hold of the things that are good and change the things that are not – there are plenty of those. But there is no reason why we couldn’t fix those if we just put those into action. I’m hopeful that we will make progress.”
Looking back at his own race, Leclerc confessed that he was excited to see the last of the SF-25, but also reflected on his recent struggles. The Monegasque racer is desperate to end the season with a rare moment of celebration, although whether or not that will be possible remains to be seen.
“Yes, for sure, but at the same time, I’m looking forward to the last race to try to finish on a higher note, because it would be quite depressing to go on holiday with a race like that,” he explained.
“So I hope we can finish on a more positive note in Abu Dhabi and then look forward to next year’s car and forget about this year, which has been very tough one.”
