Guenther Steiner tells Ferrari exactly how to stop Lewis Hamilton from walking away from Formula 1

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Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton admitted at the end of the Las Vegas Grand Prix that he’s not excited about the 2026 Formula 1 season, raising questions about his future in the sport.

Lewis Hamilton crossed the line in 10th after qualifying last in Las Vegas, before being promoted to P8 after both McLaren drivers were disqualified.

The seven-time world champion was despondent after the race, and suggested that he wasn’t looking forward to the 2026 campaign, which should offer Ferrari and Hamilton the chance to quickly put a tricky season behind them.

The upcoming F1 regulation changes give every team a chance to topple McLaren at the top of the constructors’ championship, and could lead to Ferrari ending their long wait to win a title.

Guenther Steiner has been reflecting on Hamilton’s testing Las Vegas Grand Prix performance and his future in Formula 1.

He’s told Ferrari what they need to do to keep Hamilton motivated and avoid him walking away from the sport at the end of next season.

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Steiner was speaking on the Drive to Wynn podcast, talking about Hamilton and his F1 future.

Hamilton’s contract runs until the end of 2027, and Steiner explained: “He needs that lift next year with the new regulations.

“He never liked his ground-effect cars. I mean, at Mercedes, he was always, I wouldn’t say struggling, but not the old Lewis Hamilton.

“I think next year, with the new regulation, let’s see how he can adapt to a new car.

“He gets a new opportunity. I call it like this. If that opportunity doesn’t work next year, I do not think that he wants to continue in 2027 because this is not what he wants to do.

“Starting last in a Ferrari, whatever happened with the final lap [in qualifying], I mean, he wouldn’t have got pole position, no chance. So, I think he’s quite frustrated. When you see him talking after something like this, you can see that he’s down.

“But I think he says to himself, I’ve got two more races to go, one more Sprint Race, let’s see how we start next year and then make a decision on what to do.

“But this is not what any of us expected, and neither did he expect this one.”

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

How Ferrari are shaping up for the 2026 Formula 1 season

Each of the 10 teams in the paddock have dedicated a considerable amount of time to next year’s car this season.

The likes of Alpine, Aston Martin and Williams have barely developed this year’s machines, while Red Bull have sacrificed some of the time they could have spent on their 2026 car in recent months to keep Max Verstappen’s championship hopes alive.

Whispers about Ferrari’s 2026 power unit might concern Hamilton, but until the cars take to the track during pre-season testing, nobody knows exactly where they rank compared to their rivals.

Hamilton has told Ferrari his first impressions of next year’s car, but the team are being understandably coy about their progress in public.

Team principal Fred Vasseur needs to make sure that Ferrari have learned plenty of lessons from the failures of this season.

Ferrari are already preparing to copy McLaren going into next year, and it makes perfect sense to take inspiration from this season’s championship leader.