‘Senior paddock figures’ say Ferrari have already made up their minds about Lewis Hamilton’s future

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Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari contract expires in just over a year. For the first time in his F1 career, he may be fighting to keep his seat.

Hamilton delivered his best qualifying performance as a Ferrari driver in Mexico when he took third on the grid. But after picking up a 10-second penalty during his battle with Max Verstappen, his race unravelled.

The seven-time world champion eventually finished eighth, while teammate Charles Leclerc was second. Leclerc is responsible for all seven of Ferrari’s podiums this year.

While Hamilton expected to be driving a faster Ferrari after the team won five races in 2024, the team also expected a significant upgrade on Carlos Sainz, and their superstar signing has arguably been the opposite.

Ferrari aren’t planning to offer Lewis Hamilton a new contract in 2026

ESPN has canvassed the opinions of ‘several senior paddock figures’ on Hamilton’s future. They say that he will ‘not be offered another contract’ next year.

That would make him a free agent in the F1 driver market ahead of the 2027 season. He hasn’t confirmed whether he plans to continue racing, but did expect his Ferrari move to be a long-term project.

It’s ‘clear’ that ‘something has not clicked’ between Hamilton and Ferrari since he arrived. Perhaps the situation will change if driver and team roar back into form under the new regulations.

Previously, it was reported that Hamilton had an option for 2027 in his deal. Even if he does, it seems unlikely he’d activate it if the team weren’t fully behind him.

Why Ferrari are unlikely to make the changes Lewis Hamilton has demanded

Karun Chandhok criticised Hamilton’s Ferrari engineer for his communication around the 10-second penalty. It’s not the first time the effectiveness of their relationship has been called into question.

There’s a theory that Ferrari aren’t listening to Hamilton, who’s trying to develop the 2026 car in his preferred direction. He’s also been pushing for structural and cultural changes at Maranello.

Hamilton feels like Ferrari are ‘responding’, but that clearly hasn’t changed the paddock consensus that there’s a disconnect at present.

From the team’s perspective, they may not be inclined to grant Hamilton long-term influence if they only see him as a short-term option.