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Lewis Hamilton revealed he didn't take a break during F1's five-week pause, instead focusing on intense training and factory visits with Ferrari. He emphasized the importance of using the time to prepare rather than relax.
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Most of the F1 grid treated April as a break. After the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix due to the conflict in the Middle East, drivers, teams and fans were handed a five-week, 35-day gap between races ā the kind of unscheduled hole in the calendar that, in any normal year, would mean a holiday somewhere with no Wi-Fi. Lewis Hamilton, ahead of this weekendās Miami Grand Prix, made it clear he did the opposite.
Asked about the layoff, the seven-time champion pushed back on the idea of time off. āI didnāt really have a break,ā he said. āItās been interesting like, people looking at it as a break. Weāve been just given more time to focus.ā
He then ran through a checklist that sounded less like a vacation and more like a pre-season camp: factory visits every week, training, physios, chiropractors, recovery, sport. āI didnāt take any time off. Just really focusing on it.ā
Hamilton is in his second season at Ferrari, and the first one was rough enough that he isnāt pretending otherwise.
He went the entire 2025 season without a Grand Prix podium for the first time in his career, was outqualified by Charles Leclerc 19 to 5, and finished 86 points behind his teammate. 2026 has started better ā he needed just two attempts this year to get the grand prix podium that eluded him 24 times last season ā but the Japan weekend was a reminder that the integration work isnāt finished.
Suzuka was a clear step behind Leclerc throughout the weekend, even if the gap was smaller than in 2025.
āObviously, the last race, I could see I was down on power,ā he told Crash.net. āWe did a deep dive and could understand that it wasnāt the engine, but the systems altogether, including several things coming together to lose me 8-9 tenths in straightline power. We got on top of that, worked in the sim, Iāve been at the factory every week, been training a huge amount, and I feel refreshed for this weekend.ā
Lewis Hamilton focused on factory visits, training, and recovery instead of taking a vacation.
The pause allows teams to regroup and strategize, especially after the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.
Hamilton's challenging first season with Ferrari motivated him to intensify his focus and preparation during the break.
Hamilton mentioned factory visits, training sessions, and working with physios and chiropractors as part of his schedule.
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Leclerc has been driving for Ferrari since 2019. Hamilton spent twelve straight years at Mercedes before this, and adapting to a new teamās engineers, simulator, and operating culture is the job heās still doing. Per The Race, Ferrari sought Hamiltonās input on areas like the SF-26ās suspension when developing the car last year, and the 41-year-old now feels like a leader inside the team.
The reward for all the simulator hours is a weekend that already looks loaded. The teamsā factories were free to keep working unrestricted through April, which means the upgrade sheet in the Miami paddock is going to be enormous.
Ferrari has reportedly been bringing āat least halfā a new car to Miami, and the FIA has also confirmed rule tweaks for this round, increasing super clipping from 250 to 350 kilowatts and reducing the qualifying harvesting limit from 8 megajoules to 7. Translated for anyone who hasnāt been doomscrolling F1 Twitter: every car on the grid will behave slightly differently than it did in Japan, and the order could move.
Thatās a useful coincidence for someone who has just spent five weeks living in the simulator.
Hamilton has never finished higher than sixth across the four previous editions of the Miami Grand Prix, and this is also a Sprint weekend, with one practice session before competitive running starts on Friday night. Thereās no easing in. The factory time either translates or it doesnāt, and weāll know by Saturday afternoon whether all that recovery and chiropractic work paid off or whether Mercedes simply runs away with another one.
Itās a small, telling answer from a driver who has had every reason to disappear for a month and chose not to. The thing about joining Ferrari at 41 is that the timeline isnāt generous, and Hamilton clearly knows it. The rest of the grid got a holiday. He got more homework ā by his own choice.