Lewis Hamilton has entered the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend with a renewed sense of pride and purpose, describing his current form as “worlds away” from the disappointing season he endured just one year earlier. The seven-time world champion, who joined Ferrari at the start of 2025, has spoken openly about the low point of his red-livery debut, when qualifying 12th at last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix left him feeling “absolutely useless” and reportedly prompted the team to consider changing driver. That result came during a campaign in which he failed to score a single podium, struggling to keep pace with teammate Charles Leclerc and falling well behind the Silver Arrows.

The winter regulatory changes introduced into Formula 1 have been instrumental in the turnaround. Hamilton credits the team’s behind-the-scenes development for creating a package that now suits his driving style and allows him to compete at the front. “I feel really grateful for the way we’ve developed as a team,” he said in a reflective interview ahead of the Hungaroring. “The pieces to the puzzle that have moved and come together. And now we come here with a great car, a great package as a whole that we can fight with.”

After a difficult weekend at Silverstone where a small mistake cost him a potential victory, Hamilton finished third and outscored Leclerc by 33 points across the first ten races of the 2026 season. At the Belgian Grand Prix the following weekend, he once again showed improvement, taking fourth place while Leclerc secured pole and the win. The British driver acknowledged the fragility of their position. “Every weekend the goal is to try to extract the most from the weekend,” he explained. “We had a couple of good weekends and we got to Silverstone, started out well and one step in the wrong direction and it took us away from competing for a win. The same thing last week, so that just shows how things can go in this sport. But I’m still grateful that we’ve had consistency, still scored points.”

He added that on pure pace the front runners were not far off, noting that teammate Kimi Antonelli was expected to dominate but was unable to pull away in Belgium. “So to go to two circuits where we thought we would be quite far behind and to have Charles win and finish second shows that we are moving in the right direction.” The comparison with Leclerc remains a key narrative. While the Monegasque has claimed the majority of recent podiums, Hamilton’s consistent point-scoring and the team’s overall progress have shifted the balance of power within the Ferrari garage.

Ahead of Hungary, Hamilton is focused on execution rather than headline expectations. He insists the cars are so sensitive that the smallest error can erase a season’s worth of progress, and he continues to emphasize the need for perfect preparation. The Hungaroring layout, with its mix of high-speed corners and technical sections, plays to Ferrari’s strengths in balance and grip, but the driver knows that preparation and setup will ultimately decide the outcome. “I think it’s primarily a question of execution,” he said. “Over the last two weekends we executed our work very well and optimised every aspect of the car. That’s the most important thing.”

The British driver has spoken regularly about the mental shift since last year’s disaster. One day, he says, he will document the entire sequence of events that led to his lowest point, but for now he simply reflects on the progress. “Coming into this week I felt a lot from last week at the Belgian Grand Prix and I arrive worlds away from where I was last year.” The pride he feels in both the team and himself is evident. “I’m definitely 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.”

With the championship still wide open and the balance of power still shifting, Hamilton enters the weekend with cautious optimism. The small inconsistencies at Silverstone and Spa have taken him out of contention for wins, but the closeness to the front runners and the impressive performances from Leclerc have convinced him that the team is on the right path. As he prepares to face the Hungaroring’s demanding layout, Lewis Hamilton is no longer the driver who was labelled “useless” a year ago. He is the driver who has turned a difficult debut into a credible title challenge, and the pride he carries into Budapest is the clearest sign yet that the Ferrari era has truly begun.

The Hungarian Grand Prix is expected to be one of the most compelling weekends of the season, with both drivers and the entire grid watching to see whether the progress continues or whether the cars’ sensitivity delivers one more unexpected twist. Hamilton’s words, however, leave little doubt about his own mindset. He has not only reversed his form but has helped Ferrari climb back into the title conversation, and for the first time since joining the team, he genuinely believes the best is yet to come.