Fired-up Lewis Hamilton more committed to F1 than ever

SUZUKA – A fired-up Lewis Hamilton said on March 26 that he was more committed to Formula One than ever, as the seven-time world champion credited his resurgence in form to a change of attitude.

The 41-year-old cut an increasingly embattled and disconsolate figure as he endured a nightmare debut campaign with Ferrari in 2025, ending a season without a podium finish for the first time in his career.

But the Briton, who ended his podium drought in the second round of the season in China on March 15, seems to be relishing the sport’s new rules era, driving every bit like the hungry rookie who made his debut with McLaren in 2007.

“I think it’s just a change of attitude, just not letting all the BS that surrounds me get in the way of knowing who I am and what I’m able to do,” he said ahead of the third race of the season at the March 29 Japanese Grand Prix.

“I was in Tokyo between this race and the last race. I ran, like, 100km.

“I know that none of the drivers I’m racing against have trained as hard as I have.

“I love that, that I still have that drive to push myself. The commitment is there more than ever.”

Hamilton, who has won 105 races and took six of his seven titles with former team Mercedes, is fourth in the standings, one point behind teammate Charles Leclerc.

The Monegasque has been Hamilton’s main rival over the first two races, with Mercedes again dominant and Ferrari a clear second.

The pair engaged in a fierce but entertaining wheel-to-wheel battle for the podium in China.

Hamilton also compared this season’s back-and-forth racing, with drivers passing and repassing one another, to go-karting, describing it as the “best form of racing”.

Meanwhile, Lando Norris believes his McLaren can improve enough to become the car to beat in 2026, despite a bruising start to the season for the reigning drivers’ and constructors’ champions.

The team, constructors’ champions for the last two years, have struggled for speed and reliability over the opening two races, with both cars failing even to start the last race in China.

Still, they are third in the overall standings, albeit 80 points behind leaders Mercedes and 49 adrift of Ferrari.

“We’ve won the last two championships and we won the drivers’ last year because we could build the best car on the grid and I’m confident we can get back to doing that this year,” Norris said.

“You have to be patient. I have a good belief in the team and I think we can have the best car this year,” added the 26-year-old, who finished fifth in the Australian season-opener and fourth in China’s sprint.

“I can’t remember how many points we were behind in 2024 from Mercedes and Red Bull, Ferrari, over 150 points or something behind and we still managed to come back and win the constructors’.”

His teammate Oscar Piastri echoed those sentiments.

“We all have that taste of success now,” said the Australian. “And we want to get back to where we belong.”

Piastri, 24, failed to start his home race and finished sixth in the China sprint, but he powered to the fastest time in the second practice for the Japanese Grand Prix on March 27, usurping dominant Mercedes duo Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

He gave a reminder of his talent with a lap of 1min 30.133sec.

The 19-year-old Italian Antonelli, who won the first grand prix of his career in China, was second, 0.092sec behind. REUTERS, AFP