Lewis Hamilton is simply “praying” for better fortune in the next Formula 1 rules cycle after enduring a torrid time since the start of ground-effect cars in 2022.
Just two of the seven-time world champion’s 105 grand prix victories have come in the current era, having particularly struggled in qualifying because these cars don’t necessarily reward sharp cornering after braking late.
It’s been so bad that the 40-year-old claimed “there’s not a single thing I’ll miss about these cars”, with it being his least favourite rule cycle since joining F1 in 2007.
Luckily for him, 2026 will usher in a new era with huge changes to both the chassis and power unit presenting Hamilton a chance to overcome his poor debut season at Ferrari in 2025.
“It’s been really interesting,” said Hamilton, when asked how the approach to next year differs from previous regulation changes he has faced.
The first one he experienced was in 2009 when slick tyres were reintroduced, wing sizes increased and changes were made to the diffuser, hoping to make cars less reliant on downforce.
But McLaren struggled as reigning champion Hamilton was 11th after nine rounds, before the team ultimately recovered somewhat to help the Briton finish fifth in the standings.
He fared much better with the next two changes in 2014 and 2017, however, as during that time with turbo-hybrid cars Hamilton won six world titles with Mercedes - a far cry from what followed.
“McLaren in 2009, I remember the first day back in the year, they said the rules of 50% less downforce,” he added at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“So they built the car to have 50% downforce. I remember arriving back in January and they're like, ‘we've already hit our targets’ and I'm like, ‘wow, is that normal?’. We get to the first test and there's no downforce at all and we're miles off. So I learned a lot through that experience.
“Then 2014 was incredibly exciting. Also, just because I was in a new team and I could see the amazing work that was being done already a couple of years before, particularly on the engine.
“And 2017 was cool because it was a bigger, wider car. It just looked beefier and more downforce. It was mega. This generation was probably the worst one, I would say, and I'm praying that the next one is not worse than that.”
One can see just how much Hamilton has hated these cars by watching his 2025 media sessions, in which he was often incredibly downbeat, offering just one word answers.
That came amid a year he finished sixth in the standings, 86 points behind team-mate Charles Leclec with a sprint win in Shanghai being Hamilton’s sole highlight.
But a poor Ferrari of course didn’t help as it had all development stopped come June and despite the short-term struggles that caused, Hamilton believes it was the correct decision.
“I was pushing Fred,” said Hamilton, referring to Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur. “It's like we can't fall behind the others in terms of development for the new car, because it's a steep learning curve for all of us.
“So I supported it 100%. I still do - I think it was the right decision. Particularly where we were already with the car, we weren't fighting for a championship.
“But it's just meant that it's been harder to maintain the performance, at least some of the performance we had at the beginning of the year. I can't answer the question for the rest of the team. I think everyone's stayed really positive in my experience. So I've not seen a psychological effect.”
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