Lewis Hamilton identifies 'fascinating challenge' with new 2026 F1 Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton has explained how working with Ferrari from the start on the design of the 2026 SF-26 machine has been "a particularly fascinating challenge."

Hamilton moved from Mercedes to Ferrari for 2025 to allow himself a year to embed within Ferrari ahead of the rule changes coming into force, which he has described as the "biggest" of his entire career.

Hamilton will now have driven six generations of cars in grand prix racing from his 2007 debut, with rule changes in 2009, 2014, 2017, 2022, and now 2026 as he seeks to put a horror '25 season behind him, in which he failed to score a grand prix podium for the first time in his career.

Detailing the design genesis of the new car, Hamilton explained that working to give a "clear direction" to the Maranello engineers had been a "fascinating challenge."

Hamilton said: "The 2026 season represents a huge challenge for everyone, probably the biggest regulation change I have experienced in my career.

"When a new era begins, everything revolves around development, growth as a team, and moving forward in the same direction.

"As a driver, being involved from the very start in the development of such a different car has been a particularly fascinating challenge, working closely with the engineers to help define a clear direction.

"It will be an extremely important year from a technical perspective, with the driver playing a central role in energy management, understanding the new systems and contributing to the car’s development.

"It is a challenge we face together as a team, supported by the extraordinary passion of Ferrari’s tifosi, which means so much to all of us."

Photos of the new striking SF-26 livery are available to view by clicking this link, and make sure to let us know in the poll what your thoughts are!