12/07/2025 08:20
Lewis Hamilton is working to ensure next year's Ferrari F1 car has
"some of my DNA" incorporated into the design. F1 will undergo a
major regulation shift next year with changes coming for both the
chassis and the power unit. Hamilton is hopeful he will be in the
hunt for a record-breaking eighth F1 title, having struggled for
pace at times during his opening stint with Ferrari. The
40-year-old has largely been out-paced by team-mate Charles
Leclerc, who is currently partaking in his seventh year with the
Italian squad. Hamilton admitted he has been forced to run closer
to Leclerc's set-up preferences in order to extract the most out of
the challenger. "This year, with this car, we have a lot of
different tools and ways in which we can set the car up," Hamilton
told media including RacingNews365 . "Obviously Charles has been
here for a long time, and he's been a part of evolving and
developing this car. He's very accustomed to it. "They've found and
he has found one way in which the car works. I tried all the other
directions that should work, but they just don't, just for whatever
reasons. "I've slowly migrated to the place where Charles runs the
car." However, Hamilton has highlighted it is not the direction he
wants to continue for 2026 when he will embark on his second season
in red. "It's a tough balance to drive and it's not a comfortable
one," Hamilton conceded. "It's not one that I want to have in
future. "So I'm working with Loic and with all the guys in the
factory to make sure that the next car will have, naturally, some
of my DNA in it. "Hopefully we'll be able to get some of the
characteristics that I'm hoping to have in next year."
