Lewis Hamilton braces for ‘tears’ during F1 break after intense first stint at Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton hasn't had a single podium with Ferrari yet - and he's openly said this season's been a proper battle.

Now, with the F1 summer break looming, he expects a few emotional moments along the way.

Reflecting and letting go

Fresh off a blockbuster switch from Mercedes, Hamilton’s first season with Ferrari hasn’t gone to plan. After 13 of 24 races, no podiums.

The Ferrari adaptation has been rocky. Integrating into a new culture and team has been tougher than expected.

Speaking before the last race before the break, the Hungarian GP, he didn’t hold back:

"Integrating into a new culture and into a new team. It's not gone smoothly in all areas, and it's been a real battle.

"I definitely need to get away and recharge, be around the kids, laugh, let go. I'm sure there'll be some tears at some point and I think that's really healthy."

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Vision and determination

Despite setbacks, Hamilton remains fully committed to Ferrari, and pretty vocal about wanting real change in the team structure.

He's spent time at Maranello, submitting detailed proposals and meeting with key figures like Benedetto Vigna and Fred Vasseur about upgrades and operational revamps.

Team principal Vasseur just signed a multi-year extension, reinforcing the belief that the team is going in the right direction, and Hamilton says he backs Vasseur’s vision.

Despite struggles, Hamilton still wants to race, still loves being in red, and still believes in the passion and camaraderie at Ferrari.

I'm always excited to race. I love what I do, I love being in red, I love working with this team, I have such belief in this team.

"It's really hard to explain. I already had it a lot when I was in my previous team. Over time, you really build that camaraderie, and I see the passion in this team and I love it.

And while results haven’t come yet, the man is putting in the work - both on and off track - to make it right:

"All I want to do is contribute the best that I can. Of course I need to do that mostly on track, and I'm not always hitting that, but also in the background.

"I see there's things that we can always improve and there's things that I can improve on. I'm just really excited for this break.

"I think for everybody, particularly the guys at the factory, they'll definitely enjoy this time with their family and then we'll come back extra energised for the second half."

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