WILL LEWIS HAMILTON’S NEW MCLAREN ENGINEER BRING "WOKING SECRETS" TO HELP SCUDERIA FERRARI?
Lewis Hamilton leads Ferrari into the 2026 F1 era with a record shakedown pace and a brand-new McLaren-sourced engineering team.
Lewis Hamilton isn’t sitting back at Ferrari—he’s pushing hard for change as Formula 1 heads into new regulations for 2026.
His first year in Maranello? Pretty rough. Ferrari didn’t win a single race in 2025, and for the first time in his career, Hamilton didn’t even get on the podium all year. The SF-25 just couldn’t keep up with the competition.
Ferrari tried an aggressive suspension setup and rolled out a bunch of upgrades, but none of them really worked. Worse, the team ignored what their drivers—Hamilton and Charles Leclerc—actually wanted: better aerodynamics, not just suspension changes.
Of course, the team came to regret that. Now, heading into 2026, they’re ditching the pull-rod suspension and finally aiming to fight at the front again.
Hamilton set the fastest time during the Barcelona shakedown, but honestly, early tests don’t tell you much about who’s really quick. Still, you get the sense he’s feeling a lot better this time. Ferrari’s finally listening to him, and he’s having a real say in how the new car gets built.
For the SF-26, both Hamilton and Leclerc have been clear—they want a car that’s more stable and predictable. After last year’s struggles, the engineers are listening. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ferrari has given the drivers a bigger role behind the scenes.
Hamilton’s been hands-on, giving detailed feedback on everything from the power unit to the suspension, brake balance, and even the feel of the steering wheel. He’s banking on the new rules turning things around for him after a tough time with the last generation of cars.
At 41, Hamilton’s influence is everywhere on the SF-26, and you can see it’s making a difference. His first impressions from Barcelona? He’s in a better mood, energised by how Ferrari’s taken his ideas seriously. Whether that translates to results once the season starts—that’s still up in the air.
And he’s not just making changes to the car. Hamilton called his 2025 season a “nightmare”—at one point, he even said Ferrari should replace him after the Hungarian Grand Prix. It was that bad, and he knew something had to change.
He’s already taken action. For 2026, Hamilton’s got a new race engineer. Riccardo Adami is moving to another role, and Cedric Michel-Grosjean, fresh from McLaren, will be stepping in. Michel-Grosjean worked closely with Oscar Piastri last year, but this will be his first time as a race engineer.
Even beyond the team garage, there are changes. Marc Hynes, one of Hamilton’s closest confidants, is heading to Cadillac—marking the second time he and Hamilton have parted ways. Hamilton’s not wasting any time reshaping things as he tries to get back to winning ways.
MELBOURNE WARNING: MAX SAYS FANS WILL SEE "UNNATURAL" LIFT-AND-COAST DURING THE AUSTRALIAN OPENER
Max Verstappen calls 2026 F1 rules "anti-racing." Discover why he thinks the new engines feel like Formula E on steroids.
Max Verstappen isn’t letting up on his criticism of the new 2026 Formula 1 rules. He says F1 needs to “stay away” from turning into Formula E.
Last week in Bahrain, Verstappen really stirred things up during pre-season testing. He called the new rules “anti-racing” and basically said the series is turning into “Formula E on steroids".
Here’s what’s going on: the next generation of F1 engines will rely way more on electrical power, almost a 50-50 split with the combustion engine. So, battery management is about to become a huge part of racing, not just a side thing.
What does that actually mean? Well, drivers might have to downshift even on the straights just to save energy. That’s a move straight out of Formula E, where drivers sometimes drop back on purpose to save battery and then attack late in the race.
Verstappen wants none of it. When someone asked him if F1 might start attracting more Formula E drivers because of all this battery management or even become a feeder series for the all-electric championship, he didn’t hold back. “Well, let’s hope not,” he said.
He clarified he’s not against the drivers. “There are a lot of good drivers in Formula E who could do well here,” Verstappen said. “But I don’t want F1 to get close to Formula E.”
He was pretty blunt about what he wants: “I want us to actually stay away from that and be Formula 1. So don’t add more battery. Actually, get rid of that and focus on a proper engine. Let Formula E be Formula E, because that’s their thing.”
He’s seen the new Gen4 Formula E car, and he thinks it looks cool. “But let them be Formula E, and we should stick to Formula 1. Let’s not mix them up.”
Verstappen isn’t the only one talking about the 2026 rules. They’ve really split opinions. Lando Norris, last year’s world champion, said the new cars are “a lot of fun".
When someone asked Verstappen if he got any pushback from the authorities for speaking out, he just shrugged it off. “I’m just sharing my opinion,” he said. “We have free speech. That’s how I feel. Not everyone has to agree, and honestly, it doesn’t really matter what other people say. I got a question, and I answered it.
“I think I’m allowed to do that. So it’s not about pushback or anything.”
THE 2026 BLUEPRINT: HOW LEWIS HAMILTON IS SECRETLY SHAPING FERRARI’S NEXT-GEN POWER UNIT
Lewis Hamilton is betting on 2026: Discover why Jenson Button believes new F1 rules will save Hamilton’s struggling Ferrari career.
Jenson Button thinks the new Formula 1 rules are going to be a turning point for Lewis Hamilton’s future in the sport. Hamilton’s first year with Ferrari? Pretty rough. He didn’t even get on the podium once, a first for him, and finished sixth in the drivers’ standings, while Ferrari landed fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. Now, Hamilton’s 41 and not shy about wanting things to get better this season. Button, though, is still hopeful. He figures Hamilton’s early work with Ferrari’s 2026 car could really pay off.
Button knows what he’s talking about; he spent three years as Hamilton’s teammate at McLaren. Watching Hamilton struggle last season was hard for him. “It was tough, I have to say, watching Lewis in 2025,” Button told Sky Sports News before the new season kicks off in Australia on March 8. “I know how good he is. You could see how much it hurt him. You almost forget everything he’s accomplished because you just see the pain in his face. But honestly, with these new regulations, I think we’ll see Lewis back at his best.”
Button thinks Hamilton’s going to have a real say in how Ferrari builds the new car, and that’ll make a big difference. “He’ll help shape the car in a way that works for him,” Button said. “I hope we see that. Everyone wants to see Ferrari and Lewis fighting at the front again.”
The rule changes this time around are pretty major. The biggest stuff? Overhauls to the power unit and new hybrid engines. Aerodynamics are getting a shake-up, too, and F1’s dropping the drag reduction system completely. Teams also have to deal with new financial rules after the cap on operational costs went up. Ferrari’s hoping all this helps them get back in the title fight. Button, who just retired last year, says with all these changes, “anything is possible” as the sport heads into a new era.
Last season, Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc outshone him, grabbing seven podiums even though they drove the same car. Leclerc’s been at Ferrari longer, so that probably helped, but Hamilton’s betting that another year at Maranello will give him what he needs by 2026.
Still, Button doesn’t sugarcoat it. If things don’t turn around for Hamilton this year, it might never work out, which could mean the end of the road for him in F1. “Switching teams and going up against someone who’s been there for years is always tough,” Button said. “But now Lewis has had time to settle in, build relationships, and shape the car’s direction. This year’s huge for him. If it doesn’t click, I don’t know if it ever will. This is his chance to turn things around.”