Lewis Hamilton said he is not looking forward to the 2026 Formula 1 season after a difficult year continued with a tough Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend.
Britain’s seven-time world champion qualified last for the race, the first time that had happened on pure pace in his 19-year F1 career.
The Ferrari driver swiftly worked his way up the field to get into the points positions, but he could not overtake the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg on the medium tyre in the closing stages of the race.
Having finished 10th, Hamilton’s classification was later moved up to eighth by virtue of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri being disqualified for a technical infringement.
“It’s a terrible result. There is nothing positive to take from today,” Hamilton told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“I’m eager for it to end, I’m looking forward to it ending. I’m not looking forward to the next one.”
Asked if that meant he was not looking forward to the next race in Qatar, Hamilton replied: “Next season.”
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur said he would consider Hamilton’s comments after the team debrief, noting they were made in the heat of the moment.
“Let’s calm down. To jump out of the car and to make the first comment it’s always a bit too much and let’s discuss after the debrief,” Vasseur said.
“Obviously it’s been tough for Lewis the last couple of weekends and he said it’s been hard.
“I can understand the reaction from Lewis just after the race, but we just have to calm down to discuss and to be focused on the next two [races], because the next two we will be back.
“And keep in mind also that Lewis was there in FP1, in FP2 the pace was good, and it means that we have to build up the weekend like this and for sure to start from P20 is not the best way to have a good result.”
Hamilton is sixth in the drivers’ championship, 73 points behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc who sits fifth.
The 40-year-old Hamilton has yet to finish on the race podium for Ferrari, but he did win the sprint race in China in March.
Should he fail to finish in the top three in the final two races of 2025, it would mark a first season without a podium finish for Hamilton in F1.
He was on the back foot for the race in Las Vegas after an uncompetitive qualifying in wet conditions on Friday, where he struggled for pace on the extreme wet tyre.
Hamilton described his first year with Ferrari as “a nightmare” after he retired from the Sao Paulo Grand Prix two weeks ago.
In an interview with Sky Sports after the Vegas race, he said: “I feel terrible. It’s been the worst season ever and no matter how much I try, it keeps getting worse.”
By BBC Sports
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