Lewis Hamilton makes stark F1 2026 claim after ‘worst season ever’

Lewis Hamilton, concerningly, announced that he is “not looking forward” to the upcoming F1 2026 campaign with Ferrari.

That season has been viewed as the much-needed opportunity for Hamilton to get his Ferrari career back on track, but the seven-time world champion said following the Las Vegas Grand Prix that he is already dreading what is to come. Hamilton recovered to score four points in Las Vegas, but deflated, still called this his “worst season ever” in Formula 1.

Lewis Hamilton ‘not looking forward’ to F1 2026

Hamilton suffered a new career-low in Las Vegas when he qualified P20 and last in the wet conditions. But, elevated one spot with Yuki Tsunoda starting from the pit lane, he was able to recover to tenth on the road, which became P8 when McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified post-race.

It was not enough to put Hamilton in a positive mood with the race weekend over. In fact, quite the opposite was true.

He told Sky F1 that he felt “terrible”, and that F1 2025 has “been the worst season ever”.

Hamilton took it a step further when he spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live, as the deflated attitude spread to next season.

While these comments were made in the heat of the moment after the race, and Hamilton is known as a driver who wears his heart on his sleeve, Ferrari surely will not be too thrilled to hear their seven-time world champion and huge investment talk so pessimistically about F1 2026, when the Scuderia hopes to make an impact under the new chassis and engine regulations.

“It’s a terrible result. There is nothing positive to take from today,” Hamilton began.

“I’m eager for it to end, I’m looking forward to it ending. I’m not looking forward to the next one.”

Asked to clarify if that was the next race in Qatar which he was referring to, Hamilton replied: “Next season.”

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Hamilton was able to make up several places at the start of the Las Vegas GP, Lance Stroll and Gabriel Bortoleto among those caught up in the mid-pack collisions. Hamilton moved himself up to 13th in the process, and finished eighth in the final classification.

“It was a pretty straightforward first lap. I just stayed out of trouble,” he reflected with the media post-race.

But, Hamilton reiterated that he could take “zero” satisfaction from his drive to the points after starting at the back, one which “doesn’t mean anything”.

“It’s still a bad weekend,” he added.

The result could yet prove costly for Ferrari in the battle for second in the Constructors’ Championship. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took the Las Vegas GP win, while due to Norris and Piastri being disqualified, Mercedes scored a double podium, as George Russell went from third to second, with Antonelli classified third.

Hamilton’s Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc took fourth.

It means that with two rounds to go, Ferrari sits P4 in the Constructors’ Championship standings, 13 points behind Red Bull and 53 back from Mercedes.

Hamilton was asked how realistic he believes P2 to now be for Ferrari.

“I don’t even know how many points we have,” he said.

“But at this rate, with my performance, we don’t [have a chance].”

And in a further concerning statement with F1 2026 in mind, Hamilton gave up hope of an improvement in his Ferrari performances.

Asked if he has a sense that things could click and he could deliver for Ferrari, he responded: “I think at this point, no.

“Tried everything, and it’s not working.”

Hamilton is 74 points behind Leclerc in the Drivers’ standings.

Read next – Las Vegas GP: Viva Max Verstappen as Lando Norris pays for Lap 1 mistake – and McLaren blunder