Lewis Hamilton 'praying' in final wish ahead of major F1 rule change

Lewis Hamilton is “praying” that he does not have similar challenges with the 2026 generation car to the ones he has endured across the last several years.

Hamilton entered the 2022 season under a fresh set of technical regulations as one of the grid's most in-form drivers having won four titles in the previous five seasons.

However, Mercedes suffered a blip in form and dropped down the pecking order while Hamilton struggled to extract pace from the car.

The challenges continued throughout his final years with the team before he switched to Ferrari this year, where he continued to face challenges.

Next year's car is being built under a brand new set of regulations, leaving him hopeful that he can cast away the problems he has endured of late.

“This generation was probably the worst one [for cars],” Hamilton told media including RacingNews365. 

“I’m praying that the next one is not worse than that.”

The 2026 season is the latest regulation reset Hamilton has endured, but undoubtedly the biggest as both the aerodynamic and power unit rules are changing simultaneously.

Reflecting on his career and past experiences with regulation shifts, Hamilton has experienced both sides of the coin when it comes to the opportunities and dangers of a change.

“It also depends on what your team does with the interpretation of those rules,” he said.

“McLaren in 2009, I remember the first day back in the year, they said that the rules had like 50 per cent less downforce.

“So they built the car to have 50 per cent downforce. I remember arriving back in January and they were like ‘Oh, we've already hit our targets’.

“I was like, ‘Wow, is that normal?’ Then we get to the first test, there’s no downforce at all and we're miles off.

“I learned a lot through that experience. 2014 was incredibly exciting, also just because I was in a new team, and I could see the amazing work that had been done already a couple of years before, particularly on the engine.

“2017 was cool because it was a bigger, wider car that just looked beefier and more downforce was mega.