A year after his most bitter moment of frustration, Lewis Hamilton is beaming on his return to Budapest: The Ferrari star is proud of his comeback
Formula 1 often writes its most fascinating stories over the course of exactly twelve months. When Lewis Hamilton shows up in the paddock this weekend for the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix, he does so with a completely transformed demeanor. It’s been a year since the record-holding world champion hit rock bottom at the Hungaroring following a disastrous Q2 elimination, even calling himself “useless” over the radio.
Back then, during his grueling debut season with Ferrari, the Brit—visibly struggling with the ground-effect cars—even demanded in frustration that the Scuderia replace him right away, while teammate Charles Leclerc stormed to pole position.
A year later, the world looks completely different: Thanks to the rule changes for the 2026 season and a car that incorporates Hamilton’s own development work, the now 41-year-old is experiencing his own resurgence. With one victory under his belt this season, he heads to Budapest in second place in the World Championship standings.
“I’m extremely proud of everyone on the team—and I’m certainly proud of myself for pulling myself out of that deep hole,” Hamilton beamed during media sessions ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. He currently trails leader Kimi Antonelli by 45 points.
Mysterious documentary teaser about Hungary 2025
At the same time, the seven-time world champion reflects on the turning point in his recent career. Hamilton hinted that the dramatic events behind the scenes of those dark days in Budapest in 2025 have yet to be fully revealed to the public.
“One day, when I make my documentary, I’ll tell you everything about that weekend [Hungary 2025] and what led up to it,” the record-holding winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix promises mysteriously. “But to come from there and return here… I’m worlds away from where I was last year. I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
“I’m very grateful for what we’ve developed as a team, how the pieces of the puzzle have moved and fallen into place. Now we’re coming here with a great car, with a fantastic overall package that will allow us to fight for the win.”
A chance at a ninth Budapest victory?
The statistics clearly favor Hamilton: He has already won the Hungarian Grand Prix eight times, and he also secured his most recent pole position here in 2023. Scuderia’s SF-26 has proven to be Mercedes’ fiercest challenger so far in 2026, having already claimed two race victories in Barcelona and Silverstone during the first ten Grands Prix. The Hungaroring, with its slow-to-medium-speed corners, should theoretically suit the Red car’s aerodynamic balance perfectly.
His teammate Charles Leclerc, however, is tempering the exuberant expectations. The Monegasque driver recalls the miscalculated setup in Monaco, where Ferrari, despite being the clear favorite, botched the weekend against a flawless Antonelli.
“Personally, I still expect Mercedes to be the benchmark,” Leclerc clarifies. “On a single qualifying lap, they’ll be very hard to beat.”
Leclerc warns: Perfect execution is crucial
Nevertheless, the Monegasque driver is also aware of the strengths of the current Ferrari package for the narrow, twisty historic circuit just outside Budapest. “It’s true, of course, that on paper this track should suit our car a bit better.”
“Every car has its strengths and weaknesses—and our strength probably lies in our balance through the corners and our mechanical grip,” explains Leclerc. “On a track like this, that’s extremely important. So we might be a bit closer, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to execution.”
The lesson from Monaco has really sunk in for the Reds: “If you’re even slightly off with the setup, as we experienced in Monaco, you lose more than the track characteristics of a favorable circuit give you. That’s exactly what we need to focus on.”