Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he was injured in a pre-season crash last year, and carried the ailment for several months during his opening races at Ferrari.
Hamilton joined the Italian squad last year as he brought the curtain down on a highly successful stint with Mercedes.
However, his term with his new team did not get off to the best start as he suffered a crash at a shakedown test in Barcelona in January, 2025.
Hamilton went on to endure a difficult maiden campaign with Ferrari, but 2026 has been a significant step forward for the seven-time champion, who claimed his maiden victory with the team on Sunday in Barcelona.
Speaking after the race victory, Hamilton cast his mind back to the collision he had at the track almost 18 months ago.
“At the beginning of last year I got injured here, actually, and carried that for months,” Hamilton told media including RacingNews365.
“A thing that I just know is to never doubt yourself, never second-guess yourself.
“You've got to continue to believe in yourself at the core, and those are the things that I've managed to re-implement into my mentality.”
While Hamilton is no stranger to winning in F1, his first victory in red sits among the most special he has enjoyed in the sport.
The 41-year-old stated he has gone through a significant reset to get back to the top step after his troubles in 2025.
“I've rebuilt my mind to this point to get myself back to where I was, and it's a great feeling to stand on that podium.
“I was saying earlier on, I'm probably going to sleep in this red top tonight. It's a good feeling to have the horse on there at the top.”
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..












Join the conversation!