Lewis Hamilton says he feels much happier entering his second year at Ferrari, better integrated with the team after a tough 2025, as the Australian Grand Prix weekend begins. Teammate Charles Leclerc stays neutral on expectations, while both drivers anticipate challenges from the new 2026 regulations.
Following a challenging 2025 debut with Ferrari—marked by no wins, a sixth-place championship finish 86 points behind Charles Leclerc, and self-doubt like calling himself "useless" in Hungarian qualifying—Hamilton has turned a corner.
On Thursday's media day at Melbourne's Albert Park Circuit, the 41-year-old said the shift is "massively different to the first year." "Having spent a year at the team, understanding the culture... I feel very gelled with the team today. So much happier," he added. This follows an intensive off-season rebuild starting Christmas Day, emphasizing a "positive mental attitude," plus setup tweaks like replacing race engineer Riccardo Adami with Carlo Santi and parting with manager Marc Hynes. "I think I kind of lost sight... of who I was and that person's gone," Hamilton noted. His aim: "The goal is to win."
Building on optimism from Bahrain pre-season testing, where Ferrari showed promise, Leclerc remains measured. "I'm quite neutral going into this season," the Monegasque said. "I've had quite a few years... I just go day by day." On Hamilton, he added: "Whether I see Lewis in a different place, I don't. I think he's just super excited... just like I am."
Both foresee surprises under the new ground-effect rules, including untested safety car restarts. Ferrari eyes a strong start in Friday practice, with Mercedes looking quick and Red Bull's pace unclear.
