Lewis Hamilton endured the worst season of his career in 2025 with the final ground effects car.
Lewis Hamilton expressed his belief that he would have enjoyed driving a 2026 ground-effect Ferrari had the F1 technical regulations not been reset. When he moved to the Scuderia for the final year of the ground effect regulations in 2025, Hamilton faced challenges, failing to secure a podium finish for the first time in his career and even qualifying last based on pace for the first time in Las Vegas. Despite winning the Chinese GP Sprint race, Hamilton struggled to adapt to the SF-25 machine’s driving style, which differed significantly from his preferences. The ground effect cars emphasized ‘U’ cornering techniques, while Hamilton’s style leans towards aggressive braking and ‘V’ cornering. The 2026-spec chassis, with aerodynamic rake akin to the dominant Mercedes cars of 2017-2021, aligns more closely with Hamilton’s driving style on paper. Hamilton believes that if he had contributed to the design of a 2026 ground effect Ferrari from the beginning, he could have achieved better results, expressing contentment with the current cars and missing the opportunity to further develop the ground-effect design.
