Lewis Hamilton has 'right formula' to mount Ferrari title charge after completing F1 'puzzle'

Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari has the "right formula" in place after completing the "puzzle" of the various changes to turn the team around. 

Hamilton has been vocal this season about the scale of changes he has sought to make at Ferrari to enable it to challenge for the world championship, and is currently third in the standings, but level on points with George Russell, with 183 to their name.

The pair are 59 points behind Kimi Antonelli, but Ferrari has been able to challenge for wins and regular podiums in 2026, with Hamilton scoring five podiums from 12 races, including his first win for the Scuderia in Barcelona. 

A major change Hamilton pushed for, and which boss Fred Vasseur was able to get through, was the change in Ferrari's brake system, with Hamilton and Charles Leclerc now using Carbon Industrie brake discs. 

This is in an otherwise Brembo brake system, the firm having enjoyed a strong relationship with Ferrari, but given Hamilton's comfort and knowledge of CI discs from his 12 seasons at Mercedes, the change was made. 

After the teething troubles of 2025, Hamilton now believes his team is "in sync" and now it has the "right formula", is ready to attack.

"It's a combination of a lot of things. I think we've made a lot of changes to the car, and so it's not just one thing; it's all the pieces of the puzzle," Hamilton told media, including RacingNews365.

"We've moved a lot of things around; there's been a lot of changes, whether it's in engineering, processes, or the design of the car, which is quite a lot different, obviously, in this new generation. 

"But we made a lot of changes, and I think we're in a better place with that. I think we've got a great collaboration now. It took a good year for us to get in sync, but I think we're there.

"We've been moving in the right direction collectively, and the things that I'd asked for ended up getting done over time. I feel like now, as we've also had the results, it shows that it works, and I feel like we've got the right formula now. 

"So now we're doubling down on that, continuing to improve. Last year, one of the things I said was like we need Ferrari to be like the innovators, and everyone should be following them. 

"And this year we're innovators. You know, people have been following our rear-wing designs, the exhaust system, and so I just think we're just going in the right direction. 

"I think we're in a real sweet spot. We've just got to continue to build on this foundation that we built."