Ferrari set to copy Mercedes and abandon Sebastian Vettel innovation to help Lewis Hamilton in 2026

Follow us on Google Discover

Ferrari will want to put the 2025 Formula 1 season behind them as quickly as possible after a campaign that started with so much promise ended in failure.

Many fans wondered if the signing of Lewis Hamilton would be the final piece of the puzzle that Ferrari needed to end their 17-year wait for a championship.

Charles Leclerc went into the season as the in-form driver after a brilliant end to 2024, but what followed was a year that team principal Fred Vasseur won’t look back on fondly.

Hamilton failed to score a Grand Prix podium for the first time in his Formula 1 career, and Leclerc now has four seasons under his belt at Ferrari, where he hasn’t won a race.

Fred Vasseur is under pressure, and his decision to abandon aerodynamic work on the SF-25 as early as April has very much backfired.

However, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix saw Ferrari debut a new potential part on their 2026 car as they begin to look for edges over their rivals during an updated regulations set.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Ferrari planning new steering wheel in their 2026 F1 car to help Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton has spent much of this season trying to help Ferrari improve, using the experience he gained from winning six titles at Mercedes to his advantage.

Some Ferrari staff haven’t appreciated Hamilton’s advice, but a report from Motorsport Italia has shared more details about the work being done by Ferrari ahead of next year.

Arthur Leclerc was in Hamilton’s car in FP1 in Abu Dhabi, driving alongside his brother for the first hour of the F1 weekend.

The younger Leclerc was testing a ‘prototype’ steering wheel, which is slightly lighter and doesn’t contain as many of the myriad of options that the current part does.

This simplified steering wheel is said to be more similar to what Hamilton worked with at Mercedes.

However, it should be noted that Hamilton requested steering wheel changes before his Ferrari debut at the start of the year, but continuing to evolve in his requests should only suit him better in the future.

The layout of the buttons has been ‘completely redesigned’ with 2026 new aerodynamic rules in mind. DRS was officially retired at the end of Sunday’s race, but there will still be different racing modes that drivers have to adapt to.

It’s believed that the current steering wheel was designed by Sebastian Vettel, ‘who over the years has requested more and more functions at his fingertips so that he can control every parameter immediately.’

The design of the new wheel more closely resembles Mercedes’ simpler design, with fewer paddles and buttons, and more sub-menus, as opposed to a variety of buttons that immediately give a driver engine modes they can switch between.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

The advice Sebastian Vettel gave Lewis Hamilton during his debut Ferrari season

Vettel and Hamilton share plenty of similarities in their Formula 1 careers, having previously been fierce rivals.

Vettel left Red Bull after winning four successive titles to try and end Ferrari’s championship drought, but ended up being frustrated and ultimately beaten by Leclerc before heading to Aston Martin.

After his first year with the Scuderia, it looks like Hamilton is very much following in Vettel’s footsteps.

The 2026 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be Lewis Hamilton’s final F1 race – discuss.

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Vettel offered Hamilton some advice during his maiden Ferrari season, but there was nothing the German could do that would help him drive around the SF-25’s problems.

Questions are being asked about Hamilton after a far more difficult campaign than anyone expected, and a gap to Leclerc that has raised some eyebrows.

Giving Hamilton a more familiar steering wheel going into a regulation change will hopefully give the 40-year-old an extra level of confidence.