Lewis Hamilton Reveals He Carried an Injury for Months During Ferrari Struggles
“Originally published June 15, 2026”
Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he quietly dealt with an injury for months while navigating a difficult period during his first season with Ferrari.
Speaking about the challenges he faced, Hamilton said the criticism surrounding his performances sometimes affected him, but he eventually chose to distance himself from the negativity and concentrate on his family, friends and preparation.
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion said he began an especially demanding training programme around Christmas as he worked to rebuild his physical and mental condition.
“There’s moments where I see the stuff and for sure there’s moments where I allowed it to get to me and penetrate deeply,” Hamilton said.
“But then I went through a sequence of unplugging from that matrix. I spent lots of time with family, lots of time with friends, real people that know me, that have never doubted me, have stuck to and by me my whole life.”
Hamilton also revealed that he had suffered an injury early in the previous season and continued to carry it for months.
“And then I just went on the mission from Christmas Day. The training that I put in was harder than I’ve ever experienced, to keep myself in good shape, because I think at the beginning of last year I got injured here, actually, and carried that for months,” he said.
The revelation provides further context to Hamilton’s difficult adjustment to life at Ferrari. The move to the Italian team had generated enormous expectations, with the Briton joining one of Formula 1’s most historic teams after a long career with Mercedes.
Hamilton said one of the most important lessons of his career has been the importance of maintaining belief in himself despite criticism and setbacks.
“I know to never second-guess yourself, never doubt yourself. You’ve got to continue to believe in yourself at the core,” Hamilton said.
He added that he had worked to rebuild his mentality and return to the confidence that had helped him achieve success throughout his career.
“I’ve rebuilt my mind to this point, to get myself back to where I was,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton also described the experience of standing on the podium in Ferrari colours as particularly meaningful.
“I’m probably going to sleep in this red top tonight,” he said. “It’s a good feeling to have the horse on there at top.”
Hamilton Reflects on Ferrari Breakthrough
Following his breakthrough Ferrari victory in Barcelona, Hamilton also used social media to reflect on the significance of the achievement and thank those who had supported him.
In his message, Hamilton expressed his appreciation for Ferrari’s work at the circuit and at its Maranello headquarters.
“DREAM THE IMPOSSIBLE. I can’t begin to describe how amazing it feels to finally win in red,” Hamilton wrote.
He thanked Ferrari for its “hard work” and praised the passion and dedication of those working to improve the team.
Hamilton also dedicated the victory to his supporters, including his Team LH community and Ferrari’s Tifosi.
“To all the fans, this win is for you,” he wrote, explaining that their support had helped him through difficult periods.
He acknowledged that there had been moments when negativity and self-doubt had become overwhelming, but said supporters had encouraged him to continue fighting and remember who he was.
“This win is just as much yours as it is mine,” Hamilton wrote.
The victory represented an important moment for Hamilton after the challenges associated with his Ferrari transition. His comments also highlighted the physical and psychological work he believed was necessary to regain his confidence.
While Hamilton’s account focused on his own experience, his revelation about carrying an injury for months adds another element to the story of his difficult period and subsequent efforts to return to his best level.
Analysis: Lewis Hamilton’s Injury Revelation Adds Context to His Ferrari Struggles
Lewis Hamilton’s revelation that he carried an injury for months provides an important additional perspective on the challenges he experienced during his early period with Ferrari. While the difficulties of changing teams at the highest level of Formula 1 were already significant, dealing with a physical problem at the same time could have made the transition considerably more demanding.
Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was one of the biggest stories in Formula 1. After spending more than a decade with Mercedes and winning seven world championships, he entered a completely different environment. Ferrari carries enormous expectations, and Hamilton arrived with the pressure of proving that he could still perform at the highest level in a new car and under a different team structure.
That context matters when examining his comments about the previous season. Hamilton did not simply describe a difficult competitive period. He explained that he was also dealing with criticism, negativity and an injury that he said began early in the season.
The injury revelation should not automatically be interpreted as an excuse for every disappointing result. Hamilton himself did not frame it that way. Instead, his comments provide additional context about the physical and psychological circumstances he was dealing with.
Formula 1 drivers are required to maintain exceptional physical conditioning. The demands of driving a modern F1 car include high forces through corners and under braking, significant strain on the neck and upper body, and the need to maintain concentration throughout a race. Even a relatively manageable injury can become more difficult when combined with repeated training sessions, travel and racing.
Hamilton’s decision to describe his winter preparation as the hardest training programme he had experienced also suggests that he understood the need to address his condition seriously.
The mental side of his comments may be just as significant as the physical side.
Hamilton acknowledged that criticism sometimes affected him. That admission is notable because elite athletes are often expected to appear unaffected by public pressure. Formula 1 drivers, however, operate in an environment where every qualifying session, race result and mistake can generate immediate scrutiny.
Hamilton’s Ferrari transition intensified that attention. His reputation meant that every difficult weekend could be viewed through the question of whether the move had been the right decision.
His response was ultimately to disconnect from what he described as the negative environment and spend more time with people who had supported him throughout his life. That approach appears to have been part of a broader effort to rebuild his confidence.
His statement that he needed to “never second-guess yourself” also reflects the psychological challenge experienced by a driver who has already achieved almost everything possible in the sport.
Confidence is particularly important in Formula 1 because performance depends on extremely small margins. A driver needs to trust braking points, corner entry speeds, tyre management decisions and feedback from the car. If confidence disappears, even a highly experienced driver can struggle to operate at his normal level.
That makes Hamilton’s emphasis on rebuilding his mentality important.
His comments also highlight the unusual circumstances surrounding his first Ferrari campaign. A driver can be technically prepared but still need time to become comfortable with a new car. Ferrari’s systems, procedures, engineering relationships and communication methods differ from those Hamilton experienced at Mercedes.
The adaptation process therefore involves much more than simply learning how to drive another Formula 1 car.
Hamilton’s eventual breakthrough in Ferrari colours carried emotional significance because it represented more than a single race result. It offered evidence that the difficult transition had not erased his ability to compete successfully.
His reaction to winning in Ferrari red was particularly meaningful because Ferrari is one of the most recognizable names in motorsport. For Hamilton, reaching the podium and eventually achieving a major breakthrough with the team provided a visible reminder that his career was still capable of producing new milestones.
His message to supporters is another important part of the story. Hamilton credited his fans with helping him through periods when negativity and self-doubt became difficult to manage.
That relationship between Hamilton and his supporters has been a recurring feature of his career. His fan base has followed him through championships, difficult seasons, team changes and controversies. By dedicating the victory to Team LH and Ferrari’s Tifosi, Hamilton presented the achievement as something shared with the people who continued to support him.
There is also a broader lesson in Hamilton’s comments about how athletes respond to setbacks.
A disappointing season does not necessarily mean that a career is declining. For an experienced competitor, setbacks can become an opportunity to reassess preparation, physical conditioning and mental approach.
Hamilton’s response appears to have involved all three areas. He discussed the injury from a physical perspective, described an intense training programme and emphasized rebuilding his confidence mentally.
However, it is important not to overstate what the revelation proves. Hamilton’s comments do not establish that the injury was the sole reason for his previous struggles, nor do they provide a complete medical explanation of his condition. The available information is based on Hamilton’s own description, so readers should treat it as his account of what he experienced.
What the comments do demonstrate is that his Ferrari journey involved more complexity than the results alone could show.
The most interesting part of Hamilton’s story may therefore be what happens next. A successful breakthrough can restore confidence, but maintaining that momentum over an entire season is a much greater challenge. Ferrari will need a competitive car, strong strategy and consistent execution, while Hamilton will need to continue adapting to his environment.
His comments suggest that he believes the mental reset has already taken place.
For a driver with Hamilton’s experience, the ability to recover psychologically from a difficult period could become just as important as outright speed. His career has already demonstrated that he can respond to adversity, but the Ferrari chapter represents a different challenge because of the expectations attached to the team and the stage of his career.
Ultimately, Hamilton’s injury revelation does not rewrite the history of his Ferrari struggles. Instead, it adds another piece to the picture.
It shows that behind the public results were physical difficulties, emotional pressure and a significant effort to regain confidence. His eventual breakthrough consequently carries a deeper meaning: it was not simply about winning a race, but about proving to himself that he could overcome a difficult period and continue competing at the highest level.
That makes Hamilton’s story one of resilience as much as Formula 1 performance. The most important question now is whether the physical preparation and renewed confidence he described can translate into sustained competitiveness for Ferrari.
Source: GPblog, report by Tobia Elia, published June 15, 2026. The quotes attributed to Lewis Hamilton are presented as reported in that original article.
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