Lewis Hamilton has given Formula 1’s new 2026 cars a big thumbs up, calling them “more enjoyable” than their predecessors.
The seven-time world champion was certainly no fan of the previous ground effect era, winning only twice between 2022 and the end of last year.
But with F1 introducing a smaller, lighter design alongside new power units for this season, Hamilton suggested they are a return to the type of cars he began with early in his career.
“In terms of just understanding the car and the balance, we have a lot less downforce than previous years,” he told Formula1.com during the Barcelona shakedown.
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“The car generation is actually a little bit more fun to drive. It’s oversteery and snappy and sliding, but it’s a little bit easier to catch.
“Yeah, I would definitely say more enjoyable.”
Hamilton is also excited by the greater role the driver will play in determining performance.
“If you look back at 2009, there’s a period of time where we were utilising the battery power throughout the laps, and this one’s even more extreme, where we’re having to utilise the power in a different way,” the Ferrari driver explained.
“I think it is the most technical year that we will have.
“I think the driver’s role is going to be critical in not only pulling laps together and delivering good results, but managing the power unit, managing the power through a lap, and also the new kind of DRS system that we have with the wings, the front and the rear wing moving, and then helping the team navigate.
“And the only way is through collaboration, through communication, and that’s really where I think the drivers get to play a really key role in helping them discover exactly where we need to be going with these cars.”
