Lewis Hamilton’s ‘stubbornness’ at Ferrari is hurting his start to the 2026 F1 season

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Charles Leclerc is now expected to again emerge as Ferrari’s top driver in the 2026 F1 season, after Lewis Hamilton struggled to adapt to their car during testing in Bahrain.

Hamilton has not beaten a teammate since 2023 when he beat George Russell in their head-to-head at Mercedes, before he lost to his fellow Brit in 2024. Leclerc beat Hamilton in every category of their head-to-head in 2025, after the latter achieved his dream of joining Ferrari.

Leclerc thrashed Hamilton 19-5 in qualifying and 18-3 for Grand Prix results – excluding their double disqualification in China and double DNF in the Netherlands and Brazil. But Leclerc is part of the furniture at Ferrari, and Hamilton joined in the last year of F1’s ground-effect era.

The 2026 F1 regulations were meant to be the real start of Hamilton’s time at Ferrari, as the new chassis and aero rules should suit his driving style more than the ground-effect era. Yet Hamilton still lacks the right feeling with Ferrari’s 2026 car, which Leclerc quickly adapted to.

Ferrari set the fastest overall lap time at both pre-season tests for the first time since 2019!

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Lewis Hamilton is demanding Ferrari change their car as he will not modify his driving style

And Hamilton has to shoulder a lot of the blame for his difficulties during testing in Bahrain, as his stubbornness appears to have hurt his start to the 2026 F1 season. According to Ralf Bach, the seven-time champion is still refusing to adapt his driving style to suit Ferrari’s car.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1’s 2026 engine and aero regulations

Instead, Bach heard in the F1 paddock in Bahrain that Hamilton has been demanding Ferrari modify their car to suit him, as he does not want to change the way he drives. This year will be Hamilton’s 20th campaign in the pinnacle of motorsport, but he starts on the wrong foot.

Bach told F1-Insider’s YouTube channel: “There are examples from the present where I can say it’s intelligence and ability that have nothing to do with age. No. I think it’s a certain stubbornness, not wanting to adapt, which is what you always hear.

“He still has the superstar status and does not want to accept it. Let’s say in his role, people are now trying to adapt to new circumstances and continue to develop, which is what you hear behind the scenes.

“He wants Ferrari to build something, an engine, a car, that suits him, and not the other way around. That’s more the problem. It’s a kind of stubbornness factor. It has nothing to do with age. That’s how it looks at the moment, and it’s incredibly difficult to turn that around.”

Lewis Hamilton’s stubbornness risks 2026 being another year of frustration

Hamilton finished the Barcelona shakedown by setting the quickest lap time on the final day, and Leclerc followed suit by closing out the Bahrain test with the fastest time on Friday. A lot of the paddock also rank Ferrari as the third-best team entering 2026, right behind McLaren.

Yet even Leclerc looked a little ragged in Ferrari’s 2026 car during the tests in Bahrain, as the Scuderia have yet not completely dialled out the SF-26’s rear instability problems. Hamilton frequently seemed more affected than Leclerc by the handling of Ferrari’s car during testing.

If Hamilton is indeed being too stubborn to change his driving style to suit Ferrari’s car, then his 2026 campaign could prove to be another frustrating season – and of his own making. It remains to be seen whether Hamilton and Ferrari find a set-up that suits him and their car.