Hamilton: I want my DNA in 2026 Ferrari design

Lewis Hamilton said he wants to have "some of my DNA" in Ferrari's 2026 car as he criticised the balance of the team's 2025 challenger.

The seven-time world champion has struggled in his debut campaign with Ferrari after joining from Mercedes and remains without a grand prix podium at the halfway point of the season.

While Hamilton has been outperformed by his team-mate Charles Leclerc, who is a place ahead of him in the Drivers' Championship and has claimed four podiums, Ferrari's performance in general has been well below pre-season expectations.

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A series of upgrades appear to have improved the SF-25, but Hamilton revealed plans he is working on with Ferrari chassis technical director Loic Serra to replace what he considers to be unwelcome "characteristics" of the current car with elements he finds more favourable.

Speaking ahead of the British Grand Prix, Hamilton said: "This year with this car, we have lots of different tools and ways in which we can set the car up.

"Charles has been here for a long time, and he's been a part of evolving and developing this car, and he's very accustomed to it.

"He's found one way which the car works. I've tried all the other directions that should work but they just don't for whatever reasons. And I've slowly migrated to the place where Charles does run the car, and last week our pace was the closest it's been.

"It's still tough. It's a tough balance to drive and it's not a comfortable one. It's not one that I want to have in future.

"So I'm working with Loic (Serra) and all the guys at the factory to make sure that the next car will have some of my DNA, and hopefully we'll be able to get some of the characteristics that I'm hoping to have in it next year."

'Ferrari can download a lot from Silverstone'

At Silverstone, Hamilton was able - for a second successive race - to match his best grand prix finish of the season in fourth, with Leclerc enduring a nightmare afternoon in the wet as the Monegasque finished 14th.

Ferrari had also produced their best Friday and Saturday of the season in the dry, with both cars highly competitive in practice before finishing qualifying just a couple of tenths off pole.

Hamilton admitted he found the race extremely difficult as he struggled to control the car in wet conditions, but also believed he had made crucial learnings that could help with the 2026 design.

He said: "I think what's positive this weekend is that in practice I was right there. I was much more happy with the car balance in the dry.

"And then in qualifying, we were much, much stronger.

"I think there's lot of positives, and also, on a race like this, while it's not great, you can download a lot.

"I feel like I know how to explain to the team what I don't want built in next year's car.

"What we have right now makes it so difficult to drive, particularly in these conditions."

F1 takes a brief break before the season resumes at the Belgian Grand Prix as the Sprint format returns, live on Sky Sports F1 on July 25-27. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime.