Formula 1 Chinese GP
Lewis Hamilton: “I’m back to my best” in F1 2026, “both mentally and physically”
The Ferrari driver was upbeat following his maiden podium with the Scuderia at Shanghai
Ben Vinel
Published: Mar 18, 2026, 9:26 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Dom Gibbons / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton says he is ‘back to his best’, though he insists there’s still “room to improve”, following his first podium with Ferrari at Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix.
At a Shanghai International Circuit where his sprint win was a rare highlight last year, Hamilton outqualified team-mate Charles Leclerc in both sessions and came out on top in their lengthy Sunday battle.
This allowed the Briton to stand on the third step of the podium, alongside the Mercedes drivers, who eventually proved untouchable.
This was a relief for Hamilton, who endured the longest wait for a maiden Ferrari podium in history, as this was his 26th grand prix start with the Scuderia.
“I started this voyage and this dream of moving to Ferrari and being on the top step with them, and this podium has taken longer than I had hoped,” the seven-time world champion admitted. “After a difficult year last year, to be able to be a part of developing with them, working with them over the past year, gives me huge pride and it’s such a privilege to be a part of this brand. They provided us a really solid car.”
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images
Asked if he felt as though he was now back to his best after a tricky first year in the Maranello-based squad, the 41-year-old replied: “I definitely feel like I’m back to my best, both mentally and physically, yes.”
But Hamilton still pointed to “room to improve”, partly due to his age and partly because he’s still adapting to the Italian outfit. The Englishman has switched to a new race engineer in Carlo Santi, who previously worked with Kimi Raikkonen; this arrangement is provisional for the time being, with a decision to be made later on whether Santi will complete the season in this role.
“Training this winter has been the heaviest and the most intense that I’ve ever had, and that probably comes hand in hand with being older,” the Englishman said. “It takes longer to recover. But I’ve managed to pull these new tools together. I’ve got a great trainer that I’ve been working with in the past, but we worked together since Christmas Day. Then the time at the factory, obviously new engineer, and that’s obviously been a real good boost as well. Great morale within the team.
“I do think there’s more to come. I think I can still eke out more performance from this car. I’m still learning about it as I go, particularly with deployment and that. Then on the backside, mid to end of last year, digging deep with the engineers and talking to them about the things that I wanted from a car that I didn’t have any part of developing last year.
“To then develop the car with them this year and to see them listen and put some of those things that I’d asked for on the car, I’m incredibly grateful to them for listening on that side of things. It just makes you feel more united with everyone because you’re moving in the same direction.”
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Yong Teck Lim / LAT Images via Getty Images
One should not play down the way Hamilton was unable to influence the development of the SF-25 as he joined the Scuderia rather late ahead of the 2025 campaign – his first day in Maranello was 20 January. Team boss Fred Vasseur is perfectly aware of this, and that’s why – besides better integration within the squad – he’s not surprised Hamilton’s performance has improved.
“Honestly, I think it's always much easier the second [season], because you are part of the project from the beginning; he was in the simulator in the middle of ‘25, when we started the project,” Vasseur pointed out after the Chinese GP. “And I think he feels also a bit more involved into the project than he was one year ago; when he joined the team in January, the car was there.
Read Also:
“He knows also a little bit more everybody, the relationship is getting better and better, it's easier for him to deal with people and to work with everybody. Step by step, we have to do marginal gains, because it's like this that we’ll close the gap.”
Additional reporting by Oleg Karpov
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Formula 1 paddock reacts as Kimi Antonelli claims first grand prix victory in China
Next article Ferrari’s China sprint halo wing: What it could be and why it vanished from the SF-26
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Ben Vinel
George Russell has lost 90 points to Max Verstappen in F1 2026 runner-up battle
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 h
George Russell has lost 90 points to Max Verstappen in F1 2026 runner-up battle
Oscar Piastri splits from Mark Webber management
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
7 h
Oscar Piastri splits from Mark Webber management
More from
Lewis Hamilton
‘I’ll try to win, somehow’ – Can Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fight back for F1 Brazilian GP victory?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
‘I’ll try to win, somehow’ – Can Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fight back for F1 Brazilian GP victory?
F1 Brazilian GP: Sunday schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
F1 Brazilian GP: Sunday schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
More from
Ferrari
Robert Kubica announces exit from AF Corse’s privateer Hypercar in WEC
WEC
WEC
Monza
18 h
Robert Kubica announces exit from AF Corse’s privateer Hypercar in WEC
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
18 h
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Latest news
How Aston Martin’s fuel gamble in Monza WEC fell short by just three seconds
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
20 min
How Aston Martin’s fuel gamble in Monza WEC fell short by just three seconds
Brad Keselowski expects "lots of soul searching" in off-season as he reflects on 2026
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
30 min
Brad Keselowski expects "lots of soul searching" in off-season as he reflects on 2026
What's behind Oscar Piastri's split with Mark Webber – and what it means for his F1 career
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
45 min
What's behind Oscar Piastri's split with Mark Webber – and what it means for his F1 career
Shane van Gisbergen gets new crew chief for 2027 NASCAR Cup season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
52 min
Shane van Gisbergen gets new crew chief for 2027 NASCAR Cup season
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe