Hamilton: Maiden Ferrari F1 win "couldn't be closer" after "begging" for changes which are paying off

Lewis Hamilton reckons his maiden victory for Ferrari “couldn’t be closer” as the 2026 Formula 1 season has witnessed a rejuvenation from the seven-time world champion.

The 41-year-old endured a torrid debut campaign for the Scuderia in 2025, suffering the first podium-less season of his 18-year career to finish 86 points behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton was dejected throughout, even calling for Ferrari to change its driver at one point, but the 2026 regulation switch to nimbler cars was always his chance to return to his best form.

It marked the first opportunity to develop the car to his liking, having not been involved in the 2025 machine’s development, and make changes to the personnel on his side of the garage like his race engineer.

As a result, a buoyant Hamilton is now second in the championship after six rounds and is knocking on the door of victory following consecutive runner-up finishes to championship leader Kimi Antonelli.

“It couldn’t be closer,” said Hamilton after Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix. The Briton therefore isn’t frustrated by the monumental 66-point gap to his Mercedes successor Antonelli, making a record-breaking eighth crown unlikely in 2026.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari SF26

Photo by: Erik Junius

For now, it is all about improvement, and the proof is in the pudding: Hamilton holds a 15-point advantage over Leclerc and is 5-4 up in their qualifying head-to-head - including sprints - after losing 23-7 in 2025.

“I can’t believe that I’m second in the championship and I’m really happy and thankful for that,” added Hamilton, before crediting team boss Fred Vasseur, who he won the GP2 title with in 2006, for his turnaround.

“I couldn’t have done that without this team, without the reliability that we have, and also with Fred. Fred has been awesome in supporting me. Last year was really tough for both of us and [I’ve been] begging him for certain changes [to his team and car], and he pulled through.

“He did those and now I’m seeing the fruits of that and I’m able to finally deliver for them. It’s still very early days in the season, so we just have to keep chasing. It’s actually easier to chase than it is to defend, I would say.

“So, whilst these guys are very quick and they’re an amazing team, we’re going to keep pushing, keep chasing, and I have no doubt at some stage we’re going to get there.”

Should Hamilton finally enjoy victory again then it would be his first since the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix - he actually crossed the line in second but team-mate George Russell was disqualified post-race. Another victory would bring his tally of wins up to 106 across his legendary career.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Toto Wolff, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

But to do so he needs to pass his former team, which has a perfect record this year, aided by its teen star Antonelli whose Monaco victory meant he matched Hamilton’s best career run of five, consecutive race wins.

“Mercedes clearly have been ahead of everybody for quite some time and we couldn't match them,” Hamilton told Sky Sports.

“Unfortunately, he did a phenomenal job and I'm so grateful that I get to witness him in his moment and this is his moment. So, I'm really grateful that I could just be up there and get to share and see that.

“Very, very thankful to my team because coming from such a horrendous year last year, I'm finally in a position where I'm reigniting the passion and belief that they had in me when I first joined.

“After a really big slump we had last year, to come back up, it's great to see the fight in them. They're doing a fantastic job and we've got a lot of work to try and close that gap.”