Lewis Hamilton has never been one to shy away from addressing speculation head-on, and after a whirlwind weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion did just that. Speaking ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, Hamilton put paid to recent rumours that he was disillusioned with his new team, Ferrari, following his disqualification from the Chinese Grand Prix.

The weekend in Shanghai was a rollercoaster ride for Hamilton and the Scuderia. After winning the sprint race, a wave of excitement swept through the Ferrari camp and their passionate supporters. However, that euphoria quickly turned to heartbreak on Sunday when Hamilton was disqualified for excessive wear on his SF-24, wiping out any points he might have scored.

True to form, the Italian media wasted no time in speculating on Hamilton’s state of mind, with some questioning whether the Briton was beginning to question his much publicised move from Mercedes to Maranello. Hamilton, however, was quick to put an end to that narrative in no uncertain terms.

 

Hamilton replies: “I’m still 100 per cent confident”

Speaking to the media in Japan on Thursday, Hamilton was incredulous at the suggestion that he was losing confidence in Ferrari after just a handful of races, the topic of the biggest Ferrari rumour doing the rounds currently.

“I saw someone say something about me losing confidence in the team, which is complete nonsense,” Hamilton said firmly.

“I have absolutely 100 per cent confidence in this team.”

He pointed out that anyone expecting instant results may have unrealistic expectations. “I don’t know if everyone expected us to win the first race and win the championship in our first year. That wasn’t my expectation,” he explained.

Hamilton insisted that he understood from the outset that adapting to a new environment, especially one as unique as Ferrari’s, would take time.

“It’s a new culture, a new team and I always knew it would take patience. The last two months have mainly been about learning and observing how things are done here and comparing it to my previous experiences at McLaren and Mercedes,” he said.

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A constant learning process and constructive adaptation

Hamilton made it clear that he hasn’t stood still either. Since joining Ferrari, he has been actively working to identify areas for improvement, not just in the car, but in how the team operates around him.

“I’ve spent a lot of time analysing and looking at where we can improve. That’s going to continue throughout the year. We’re still learning each other, building trust and developing as a unit,” he said.

Hamilton’s comments reflect a mature and methodical approach to the transition – a process to which he seems fully committed. His role so far has involved both absorbing knowledge from Ferrari’s experienced staff and contributing his own perspective to improve performance.

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Coping with the Shanghai disqualification

Far from being demoralised by the events in China, Hamilton focused on the team’s reaction to the disqualification and how it could be used as a learning experience.

“What was more important to me was how the team handled it – how they went through the data and committed themselves to understanding what went wrong,” he said. “That’s the key takeaway. I was really impressed by how seriously they took it.”

There was no sense of bitterness or frustration from Hamilton. Instead, he conveyed a calm acceptance: “I didn’t feel any real frustration or anything like that about the incident. It is what it is.”

His level-headed approach extended to his post-race engagement with the team. “I was at the factory on Wednesday. We went through everything in detail and the insights we gained were invaluable. Nobody wanted this to happen – not the engineers, not the mechanics. They all worked incredibly hard and to go away empty-handed was tough,” said Hamilton.

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Technical pitfalls and missed opportunities

The disqualification was due to excessive wear on the floor of Hamilton’s Ferrari – a breach of technical regulations that caught both driver and team off guard. Hamilton noted that during the race he had no sense that anything was amiss.

“There were no unusual vibrations or signs that the floor was wearing more than usual. I tried to avoid the bumps as I always do,” he explained.

Interestingly, he pointed out something else that caught his eye during the race: the performance of his team-mate Charles Leclerc.

“After Charles lost part of his front wing early on, the balance in his car actually improved. That was fascinating to see – it was a significant improvement, to say the least,” remarked Hamilton, hinting that there’s still a lot to unpack about how the car behaves under certain conditions.

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Setup change in China may have been a step backwards

Hamilton also offered an insight into why the Grand Prix didn’t go as well as the sprint race the day before. The key, he believes, was a set-up change made before qualifying.

“If we had either left the car unchanged or fine-tuned the setup we used in the sprint, I think we could’ve been in the top three for qualifying. That would have changed the complexion of the race,” he suggested.

Instead, the changes made the car “very difficult to drive” from qualifying onwards. “The balance was off and that continued throughout the race,” said Hamilton, admitting that he still can’t direct development in the way he once did at Mercedes.

“At Mercedes, I knew the car like the back of my hand – I knew all the tools and I could lead the direction of setup changes quite precisely. I wasn’t always right, but I had a clear idea of what to do,” he said.

At Ferrari, the dynamic is different for now. “I am still taking notes, still absorbing a lot. I’m also listening to the people here who have worked with different world champions before,” he said. Nevertheless, he conceded that the team “didn’t make the best decision” in terms of the set-up for China, whatever direction they may have taken.

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Looking ahead to Suzuka

Hamilton remains focused on growth and improvement as Ferrari move on to their next challenge at Suzuka.

“We have another chance to take a step forward this weekend,” he said, noting that the Japanese Grand Prix offers a fresh opportunity to build on the progress already made and further integrate into the team.

The road to success at Ferrari was never going to be short or easy. Hamilton knew that when he signed the contract and he’s showing no signs of wavering now. If anything, his comments reveal a renewed sense of purpose – an experienced driver fully aware of the patience and collaboration needed to make this new chapter work.

For those quick to write headlines questioning Hamilton’s loyalty or enthusiasm for his new team, the message from Suzuka was clear: he’s not just committed – he’s all in.

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