At the end of his worst ever season in F1, seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton is to go off grid for a while.

In the aftermath of a season finale in which he finished eighth, courtesy of late penalties for Lance Stroll and Oliver Bearman, the Ferrari driver was asked if he is looking forward to next season and the rules overhaul.

"At the moment I'm only looking forward to the break," he dryly replied.

"Just to disconnecting, not speaking to anyone," he subsequently added. "No one will be able to get in touch with me this winter, I won't have my phone with me and I'm looking forward to that. Completely unplug from the matrix.

"I can't wait to get away from all this," he said. "Every week, photo shoots and all that kind of stuff. That's the thing I look forward to one day, not having to do it all."

Last season, at Mercedes, he won two races, while in 2022 and 2023 he never once stood atop the podium, this year his only visit was the Sprint win in China.

To say his first season at Ferrari has been disappointing would be a massive understatement, and while teammate Charles Leclerc was equally unhappy with the team's contender he did manage seven podiums and one pole position.

At a time even the British media appears to be turning against him, when asked what keeps him going, Hamilton replied: "The love of what you do, the love of racing. The support of people around me, my fans, and keeping alive a dream. And I still have a dream."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Team Hack, 09/12/2025 16:54

"@ Chester
No probs.
I would point out that I write only as a confirmed Piastri fan.
Cheers
"

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2. Posted by Chester, 09/12/2025 16:26

"@Team Hack. Maybe I did misunderstand. And in truth, I rarely like the guy everyone adulates. I only started liking Senna after he won in inferior equipment.

And in American football, I was beside myself with the adulation for Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. The funny thing is, when they left their respective teams for a second bite at the apple. I became a rabid fan- because the pundits then doubted them. I guess I have a personality defect. I call it a BS detector when it comes to adulation."

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3. Posted by Team Hack, 09/12/2025 16:16

"@Chester
I fear you may have missed the point here.
We all know Lewis is not a car designer/engineer but equally he is
a driver with multiple championships to his name along with all the experience that that entails enabling him to share his wide knowledge of how a racing car reacts or how it should work.
Hamilton is in an underperforming car/team but at his age he can’t afford to spend 2-3 years trying to help reset Ferrari.
I mentioned an Aston merely because next year it will be a NEWEY Aston"

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4. Posted by meatball, 09/12/2025 15:36

"I realize we are all big tough arm-chair quarterbacks in this comment section but for me, I genuinely feel sympathy for Lewis. He was (really still is) and absolute rock-star in this sport. To have such an abysmal season would wreck anyone with even a modicum of success but to fall as he has with the decline of Mercedes and then the disastrous year at Ferrari - it's been tough to watch. I hope he finds some peace away from the Matrix and that Ferrari can help both he and Charles next season."

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5. Posted by Chester, 08/12/2025 18:49

"I'm sorry here, I didn't know Lewis Hamilton was a car designer/engineer. I continue with my assertion that many have cognitive dissonance.

Do you think the Ferrari is worse than the Aston Martin? Yet the guy couldn't get out of Q1 for what 4 times in a row? Alonso, in what I consider to be an inferior car to the Ferrari, did make it to Q1 each one of those times."

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6. Posted by Burton, 08/12/2025 18:02

"His AI bot race engineer also needs to be plugged off..."

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7. Posted by JamesD, 08/12/2025 16:39

"@Team Hack - I'm hoping that Ferrari can also help and be the place for him with a decent 2026 spec chassis and engine"

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8. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 08/12/2025 16:39

"The big question is how much will Ferrari go along with Hamilton's suggestions on bettering the team? The Italian press & tifosi are on his side, but is Ferrari management?

They need to listen to Lewis."

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9. Posted by Team Hack, 08/12/2025 13:13

"That’s a good decision.
Only he can sort this out and he is very well qualified to be able to.
He still has the speed and race craft but is in the wrong team and he does not have the time to try and mend that. He needs to be able to race straight out of the box.
It’s a pity he could not slip into an Aston (for example).
That would be something to see!!
Best of luck to him.
"

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Hamilton goes 'off grid'

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