Lewis Hamilton has conceded that he might soon request that Ferrari shift their focus entirely towards the 2026 season. This move would essentially signal surrender in what has been a challenging inaugural season for the seven-time Formula 1 champion with his new team. Despite the fanfare surrounding one of the most significant driver transfers in F1 history, Hamilton's performance in 2025 has been less than stellar. Apart from a single victory and a podium finish, both in Sprint races, his results have been disappointing.

Hamilton's struggle to acclimatise to his new environment is partly to blame, but it's evident that Ferrari as a team have also had a lacklustre start. Last year they were hot on the heels of McLaren for the constructors' title, but nine rounds into the current season, they trail the leaders by a staggering 197 points. Ferrari has yet to clinch any of the nine Grands Prix so far, although Charles Leclerc has secured three podium finishes. The Monegasque driver is currently fifth in the drivers' standings with 94 points, one spot and 23 points ahead of Hamilton.

Hamilton's qualifying performance has been a major concern, but there have been signs of improvement in the last two races. He was particularly pleased after securing fifth place in the qualifiers for the Spanish Grand Prix last Saturday, finishing two spots ahead of his teammate.

While Charles Leclerc surged to the podium in the Sunday race, Hamilton could only muster a sixth-place finish following Max Verstappen's late penalty and being surpassed by Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber, describing it as the "worst race I've experienced".

Looking ahead to the Canadian Grand Prix, Hamilton's prospects with Ferrari seemed uncertain. "I don't know, if I'm honest," he admitted when questioned about the team's competitiveness.

Hamilton hinted that perhaps Ferrari should channel their efforts into the 2026 project, citing a lack of recent upgrades: "I don't know what upgrades we have coming. We haven't had an upgrade for quite some time. We'll keep pushing with what we have but, before too soon, I'll be just saying focus on next year.

"So building foundations this year, learning about the tools in terms of structure, in terms of our processes, nailing those so when we arrive next year we'll be with the car that we really want."

Meanwhile, despite acknowledging the challenge of contending with the dominant McLarens, Leclerc remained committed: "I'll give everything until the end.

"I hope this weekend helps us to do a step in the right direction and then, hopefully with new parts as soon as possible, we can then take the lead in terms of performance on track at least. That will help us to hope for better, but we cannot afford to lose too many races."