"I've not lost what I had" - How Hamilton is proving his harshest F1 critics wrong

He’s only two races into his 20th season of Formula 1, yet Lewis Hamilton has already silenced those who doubted him after his difficult first year at Ferrari.

He’s benefited from a perfect storm of factors. He likes the close racing that the 2026 regulations have produced, he’s enjoying the nimbler Ferrari SF-26, and he believes that it has the potential to win races.

Most importantly, he’s put earlier disappointments behind him, adopted a positive approach and thrown everything he can into physical and mental preparation.

The Lewis Hamilton of 2026 is very different from the one we saw at times last season, when on occasions after a frustrating qualifying session or race he expressed doubts about his own ability. And he’s overcome those lows through his own will.

“I think it's just a change of attitude,” he says when asked by Crash.net about the change in his fortunes. “And just not letting all the BS that surrounds and is coming out of people's mouths get in the way of knowing actually who I am, and what I'm able to do.

“And hopefully you saw that in the last two races, but particularly the last race. And I'll continue to try and show up and show that for the rest of the year.”

It was all too easy for critics to write off Hamilton last season when the results didn’t come after all the hoopla surrounding his move to Maranello.

“I've not lost what I've had,” he says. “And regardless if some of you or people will write that, I'll continue to show up, and I'm training harder than ever. I was in Tokyo between this race and the last race; I ran, like, 100 kilometres.

“I know that none of the drivers I'm racing against have trained as hard as I have, and given it what I am, especially at my age as well. And I love that, that I still have that drive to push myself. I was at the hotel, and several drivers walked in, and I finished my runs, and I know they were just getting up!

“The commitment is there more than ever. And I dedicate absolutely everything I have now this challenge, and to the target that I have.”

Hamilton downplays the suggestion that he’d lost confidence in 2025, insisting that it was just part of the typical swings in fortune that any athlete faces. And bouncing back is the true test.

"I didn't lose confidence last year,” he insists. “It's a natural part of a process. As an athlete, you will go through seasons like that, and some of the most trying times, but the most important thing is getting back up.

“And that's what I've done this year. No one's done it for me. I've done it myself. And what we have to do I think, as individuals, and that's the ultimate test, I think, for an athlete, is if you can go and get back to being your best, and continue to try, so you show people how you show up in spite of the adversity you're facing.

“And so ultimately, I'm proud to get to this point. But there's a long way to go, and we're under no illusion, and I'm under no illusion, that it's going to be a really tough season. But I'm trying to prepare myself physically and mentally for the long haul, so I can sustain the performance that I've had in the last couple of races, and spending the time with guys at the factory to really try and help guide alongside Charles [Leclerc] the team in the right direction so we can close the gap and try to start fighting for wins.”

"Yo-yo" racing criticism of 2026 cars not something Hamilton subscribes to

Hamilton can barely disguise the level of enjoyment he’s getting from the 2026 cars, in stark contrast to the frustration expressed by Max Verstappen; he’s got no time for criticism of “yo-yo” racing.

“If you go back to karting, it's the same thing,” he notes. “People going back and forth, back and forth. You can never break away. No one has ever referred to go karting as yo-yo racing. It's the best form of racing, and F1 has not been the best form of racing in a long, long time, because you couldn't follow.

“Out of all the cars that I've driven in 20 years, this is the only car that you can actually follow through high-speed and not completely lose everything that you have, and you can stay behind.

“We had the DRS before, which I think was a bit of a band-aid for that issue, the fact that you can't get close enough through the corners. And okay, now we have the power difference, but it's so small, the power difference each lap. But when you get ahead and the car behind has it, they can keep up with you.”

He continues: “I personally find it much more fun, because that's the most overtaking and best battle I've had probably maybe since Bahrain, years and years ago with Nico [Rosberg].

“But that's how racing should be. It should be back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. It shouldn't be like one move and it’s done, and then that's it. I personally like that sort of racing. We just need all the rest of the teams to kind of close up, so we have more of those battles amongst us all.”

So what of that glaring contrast with Verstappen’s negative views? Hamilton acknowledges that having a competitive car that can potentially win races does make a difference.

“Naturally, when you have a good car and you're competitive, it's nice to be at the front,” he says. “He's had that clear for the last four or five years – five years, I would say. And so it's been pretty smooth sailing for him, and this is the first year it's not been.

“But I can't answer why he's not enjoying it as much. It's definitely a lot different. I think a lot of drivers, are not enjoying it, but I don't really know. I'm just personally enjoying. It's a lighter car, they are more nimble, they are more fun to drive.”

Not everything is perfect, he admits: “Do I love the power deployment? Absolutely not. I actually, really dislike that. Do I love the SM [straightline mode]? Not particularly. But as a whole, I think it's exciting for the sport at the time where the sport is the highest I think brand-wise, and it has the most income it's ever had. The F1 movie has done amazingly – we've got an Oscar. It's just a really good time where lots of people are watching.

“And we're actually having some battles, as opposed as opposed to processions, where you're just watching cars pull each other around each time. Everybody’s going to have an opinion. Every time we change the car, some people will love it. You can't please everybody.”

For Hamilton and Ferrari, there’s light at the end of the tunnel: “If our car all of a sudden turns to a nightmare to drive, maybe it won't be as enjoyable. But the fact is, we're having a good fight, we're in with a chance to fight for wins.

“When you're not in the position to, and because you've been here a long time, you can see that that's highly unlikely in the year, it's very hard to stay motivated. But that's where you just have to continue to try and dig. I was trying to do that last year, even though we knew that we weren't developing, and we had no chance of really winning, and it's tough for everybody within the team. But that's part of the sport, I guess.”