Lewis Hamilton insists he has no regrets joining Ferrari, explaining his recent negative comments were made in the “heat of frustration” after difficult races
LEWIS HAMILTON declared on Thursday he had no regrets about joining Ferrari this year despite a challenging debut season.
The seven-time champion dismissed his earlier comments describing his Ferrari campaign as “a nightmare” as having been said in the “heat of frustration”.
Speaking to reporters at the Lusail International Circuit ahead of this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, Hamilton admitted it would take time “to build and grow” at Ferrari.
“I would be surprised if the other drivers are excited about next year at the end of a season,” he said.
“It was in the heat of frustration and often there is a lot of frustration at the end of a race, when it doesn’t go well.”
Hamilton had been particularly glum in Las Vegas where he qualified last on pure pace for the first time in his career.
He recovered to finish 10th in the race, later promoted to eighth following the disqualification of both McLarens.
This extended his run of poor form throughout 2025 with Ferrari as he failed to score a podium finish in 22 races.
Asked if he had any regrets about leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari, Hamilton replied firmly.
“I don’t regret the decision I made in joining this team,” he stated.
“I know it takes time to build and grow, within an organisation, and I expected that.”
Hamilton is 74 points behind team-mate Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ standings after being out-qualified 17 times in 22 Grands Prix.
Leclerc has accumulated seven podium finishes during the same period.
Hamilton said he was not concerned by those comparative results.
“Charles has done a great job,” Hamilton acknowledged.
“He has been here for seven years and he has a team around him who he has worked with for many years so it is a well-oiled machine.”
The British driver emphasized that building similar relationships takes significant time and patience.
“On my side, it is a new group of people,” he explained.
“It is a new environment that I am still getting used to. We are working as hard as we can to get it to work as well as we can.”
Hamilton concluded by noting that immediate success shouldn’t be expected when joining a new team.
“To compare it to someone who has had it for seven years, you don’t just do it like that,” he said.
“It takes a bit of time.” – AFP
