Lewis Hamilton has vowed to get his head down and work hard to turn his situation around at Ferrari after he previously suggested he should be sacked.
Hamilton is in the first year of his £60million-a-year contract with Ferrari and it is not going to plan so far. The 40-year-old has been way off the pace and sits sixth in the F1 standings, 42 points behind his team-mate Charles Leclerc.
He is without a podium in 14 grands prix for his new employers and has only finished ahead of Leclerc twice this season. His frustration with his own performances came to a head at the Hungarian Grand Prix after a dreadful effort in qualifying.
“It’s me every time. I’m useless, absolutely useless,” he said. “The team have no problem. You’ve seen the car’s on pole. So we probably need to change driver.”
Those comments raised eyebrows, but the mid-season break came at a good time and allowed him time to reflect. “I feel determined to and motivated to, yes,” he said ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend. “We’re going to work hard, keep our heads down, try to change a few things in our approach and start to enjoy ourselves.
“There was so much pressure in this first half of the season. It’s not been the most enjoyable. I am remembering that we love what we do. We’re all in this together and I’m trying to have some fun.”
Hamilton has received some support from other drivers, with George Russell clear on his declaration in Budapest. “He was talking nonsense,” he said bluntly.
“He’s the greatest driver of all time. With 14 races down every driver bar two (the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri) is looking forward to 2026 and the opportunity to fight for the championship. That is what Lewis lives for, not just getting points.”
He added: “We did speak away from the track before Hungary. I think it’s a tough situation for him, for any driver who doesn’t feel like they are performing to their potential, but F1 is so difficult, and Lewis is a fighter.
“I’m sure he’s going to continue, but I can’t really speak for him. Of course, as a friend, you wish him the best, but as a rival and competitor, you don’t wish too much because we want to beat them!”
Asked what advice he’d give Hamilton, fellow veteran Fernando Alonso said: “Difficult to say. I think from the outside, you never know for sure what is going on, but Lewis doesn’t need to prove anything.
“He’s an incredible driver and he will figure out sooner or later to be at the top pace. He and Ferrari will always be a combo that you need to respect a lot.”
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