ZANDVOORT, Netherlands (AP) — Lewis Hamilton wants to rediscover the joy of driving a Formula 1 car in a difficult first season at Ferrari.
Hamilton was frustrated at the last grand prix in Hungary, calling his performance in qualifying “absolutely useless” and questioning whether the Italian team might need a different driver.
Speaking on Thursday ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, Hamilton said F1’s midseason break was a “reset” and he knows what he wants to improve in the final 10 races of 2025.
“I’m just going to be working. I’m going to work hard, keep my head down, try to change a few things in our approach and (we) start to enjoy ourselves,” Hamilton said.
“There’s been so much pressure in this first half of the season, it’s not been the most enjoyable. So I’m just remembering that we love what we do. We’re all in this together and I’m trying to have some fun.”
Hamilton won a sprint race in China in March but hasn’t yet reached the podium in a grand prix for Ferrari as he and the team have battled issues with the car’s setup. Ferrari’s inability to consistently challenge McLaren for the title has heightened the scrutiny of Hamilton and the team.
As teams gradually switch focus to the major regulation changes coming in 2026, Hamilton said now was the time to get back to the thrilling basics of being an F1 driver for Ferrari.
“There can often be so much noise you can lose sight of what’s really, really important,” he said.
“I just really want to focus on getting back to that enjoyment. I joined the team that I’ve always dreamed of driving for and there’s been so much noise around that it’s kind of clouded us from getting to enjoy it.”
Hamilton’s former teammate George Russell of Mercedes pointed to Hamilton’s sprint win as evidence the seven-time world champion has “clearly still got it” and that his comments at the last race were baseless.
“(Hamilton is) talking nonsense when he says something like that because he’s the greatest driver of all time,” Russell said on Thursday.
“I think a situation like that, when you go from the racetrack and you’re in front of the media within 10 minutes, you have all of these emotions. When you have a bad day, that’s how you feel. When you have a good day, everything changes. He’s still an exceptional driver.”
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