Lewis Hamilton is “proud of myself” for how he responded to one of his lowest ever moments in Formula 1. It came one year ago at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix when, after qualifying, he gave a particularly downbeat post-session interview in which he berated himself.
Hamilton called himself “useless” after he had failed to make the top-10 shootout in qualifying. And he was particularly concerned that team-mate Charles Leclerc, in the other car, had qualified on pole, leading him to suggest that Ferrari needed to “change driver”. It was not the last time he would say something similar in a difficult 2025 campaign.
But his fortunes have turned around this year in a car which has made him feel much more comfortable behind the wheel, Hamilton having had the chance to give his input on the car’s design himself. As a result he has secured his first podiums and Grand Prix victory for the team, and he arrives at Budapest this time in a much better frame of mind.
He said: “I’m proud of everyone in the team and also I am definitely proud of myself for getting myself out of the place that I was in. One day, when I do my documentary, I’ll tell you all about that weekend [Hungary 2025] and what led up into it. But to come from there, even coming into this week, I felt a lot from last week, and I arrived worlds away from where I was last year, for which I’m really grateful for.
“I’m really grateful for what we’ve developed as a team, the pieces to the puzzle that have moved and come together, and now we come here with a great car, with a great package as a whole, and that we can fight with.”
Other than last year, the Hungaroring has generally been a happy hunting ground for Hamilton. He has won the Hungarian Grand Prix eight times – of the current drivers on the grid, only Max Verstappen has won this race more than once – and there is every chance he could make it nine on Sunday given the tight, twisty nature of this track is likely to suit the Ferrari cars.
George Russell pointed that out as he said: “We know it’s one of the least power-sensitive circuits of the season. We’ve got Ferrari close behind. They have a better chassis than power unit at the moment so, of all of the circuits, you can expect them to be competitive here.”
But Leclerc insisted: “I still personally expect Mercedes to be the reference. They are going to be very difficult to beat on the qualifying lap. But it’s also true that it’s a track that on paper should fit our car a little bit better. Of course, you’ve got car characteristics, you’ve got weaknesses, you’ve got strengths, and probably our strength is through corner balance and the grip that we have. On a track like this, it’s very important, so we might be a little bit closer.”