Lewis Hamilton Makes “Really Hard to Predict” Admission over 2026 F1 Challenger

Lewis Hamilton reveals the factors that could be 'unpredictable' for the 2026 F1 challengers with the new season right around the corner.

Lewis Hamilton Makes “Really Hard to Predict” Admission over 2026 F1 Challenger

Lewis Hamilton (via Getty)

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Lewis Hamilton suffered from a challenging time in his Ferrari debut in the 2025 season. The Briton was unable to amass any notable results and could not match the expectations laid on him. Though Hamilton had shifted his focus to the 2026 season way before, he is still concerned about his chances to succeed under the new regulations.

The seven-time champion believes that Maranello’s dominance in the coming season is hard to predict and anything can happen. The 2026 season is right around the corner, with many teams already having revealed their challenger showcase date. Ferrari has confirmed that they will reveal their car and livery on 23rd January. Many drivers have already tested what it would be like driving the new regulation cars on the simulator.

The likes of Charles Leclerc, Lance Stroll, and others have expressed negative feedback and are not looking forward to the upcoming season. Even Lewis Hamilton is aware of the struggles that he could be facing in the 2026 season. The Briton had already revealed that he wasn’t looking forward to the upcoming season, especially after the struggles in 2025. Now, speaking on the car of the latest generation of regulations, the seven-time champion made a bold statement that it would be really hard to predict how the car will perform.

Lewis Hamilton accepted that he did not want to talk too negatively about the challengers before driving them on track physically. However, driving the car felt completely different on the simulators and not in a good way. As such, Hamilton might already be anticipating further struggles in his stint with Ferrari and not fighting for the best results from the get-go. Still, the Briton is highly motivated to succeed with the Italian squad, and with a rumored shakeup in his camp, he might just achieve a comeback in results.

I think it’s really, really hard to predict what it’s going to be like. I don’t want to say too many negative things. It feels so much different, and I’m not sure you’re going to like it.

Lewis Hamilton told motorsportweek.

Lewis Hamilton reveals ‘much harder’ factor with 2026 F1 challengers

Lewis Hamilton was one of the many drivers who succumbed to the pressures of excelling with the challengers of the ground-effect era. Hamilton achieved very little success from 2022 to 2025 and brought home only a couple of race wins. As such, the 40-year-old has proven difficulties in the modern era of challengers. Now, the seven-time champion also revealed the factor that would be even harder with the upcoming regulations.

Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur (via F1)
Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur (via F1)

The new regulations have ruled out the venturi ground effect tunnels and will pose a completely new task for the teams in terms of car development. Lewis Hamilton revealed that modern cars now have even less downforce and more torque.

The 40-year-old accepted that driving in the rain would be even more difficult than before, which could lead to more race delays and suspensions. This might not be the best solution for F1, as difficulties in rain driving could lead to more crashes.

We have less downforce, more torque. Driving in the rain, I can imagine it’s going to be very, very, very tough, Much harder than it is already with what we have today.

Lewis Hamilton noted.

The ground-effect era is in the books now. These regulations might go down in history as one of the most difficult ones for Lewis Hamilton. However, the 40-year-old will hope for a much better time under the new regulation. Ferrari must develop a competitive challenger from the very beginning, as it will then set their pace for the remainder of the regulations.

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