Lewis Hamilton revokes hot-headed interview in new take on Ferrari move

Lewis Hamilton has downplayed his recent comments where he claimed he is ‘not looking forward’ to next season.

The seven-time Formula 1 champion delivered a bleak interview immediately after last weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, where his performance left him in a downbeat mood.

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Hamilton qualified in 20th and last on the grid – the worst performance from a Ferrari driver since 2009.

Then in Saturday’s race, he clambered up to tenth, claiming the final point on offer, but proved little consolation for the Brit.

This marked the latest disappointment in a difficult maiden season with the Italian team.

What did Hamilton say after the Las Vegas Grand Prix?

Hamilton was unable to hide his frustration in the immediate aftermath, as he claimed he couldn’t wait for the campaign to be over.

The 40-year-old said: “It’s a terrible result. There is nothing positive to take from today.

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

Then when asked if that meant he was not looking forward to the next race in Qatar, Hamilton simply replied: “Next season.”

‘The heat of frustration’

But Hamilton has now performed a U-turn on his recent comments, insisting they were made in the heat of the moment.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, he said: “I would be surprised if the other drivers are excited about next year at the end of a season.

“Usually, you don’t have a lot of energy at the end of the season. It was in the heat of frustration and often there is a lot of frustration at the end of a race when it does not go well.

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“I am excited to see what the team does next year.”

Hamilton has endured the worst season of his career, since he quit Mercedes to join Ferrari for the 2025 campaign.

In 22 Grands Prix, he has yet to finish on the podium, with his highlight being pole and victory in the China Sprint back in March.

The F1 great is on course for only a third-ever campaign without a race win, but he refused

When asked if he regrets walking away from Mercedes, Hamilton replied: “That is a hypothetical question and I will not really get into that.

“But I don’t regret the decision I made, joining this team.

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“I know it takes time to build and grow within an organisation and I expected that.”

How has Hamilton’s Ferrari career gone?

F1’s most successful driver joined its most illustrious team in the off-season, with hopes high after just missing out on the constructors’ title in 2024.

But things have not gone according to plan, with Ferrari since dropped to fourth in the teams’ championship.

Hamilton, meanwhile, finds himself sixth in the drivers’ standings, 74 points behind his teammate Charles Leclerc.

They have have proved to be no threat to McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, or Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

The trio are battling it out for this year’s Formula One Drivers’ Championship, with this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix the penultimate race of the season.

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Hamilton’s last world title came in 2020 when he matched Michael Schumacher for a joint-record of seven.

The following season he finished second to Verstappen, but has struggled since new aerodynamic regulations were introduced in 2022.

He managed just two wins in three seasons with Mercedes, finishing seventh in the standings last year.

New regulations come into effect in 2026, which could reset the order, with Hamilton on a multi-year deal in Italy.