‘Wake Up Thinking About Driving – Hamilton’: Inside Lewis Hamilton’s Defiant Response to Ferrari Criticism

Hamilton Says He ‘Wakes Up Thinking About Driving’ as Ferrari Pressure Mounts

Lewis Hamilton has never been the type to shy away from scrutiny, but even for a seven-time world champion, the past week has been unusually intense. After Ferrari chairman John Elkann publicly urged both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to “focus on driving and talk less” following a disastrous double retirement at the São Paulo Grand Prix, the British star faced a barrage of questions as the Formula 1 circus rolled into Las Vegas.

And Hamilton, who joined Ferrari for the 2025 season in one of the sport’s most seismic moves in recent memory, had plenty to say—though not in the defensive, reactionary tone many expected.

“Not really,” he said calmly when asked if Elkann’s criticism was fair. “I wake up thinking about it, and I go to sleep thinking about it. I think about it when I’m sleeping. If anything, I have to focus on being able to unplug more.”

In one sentence, Hamilton both defended his commitment and reminded the world that the fire within him still burns just as fiercely as the day he claimed his first world title.

‘Wake Up Thinking About Driving – Hamilton’: Defending the Work Ethic

This season has been Hamilton’s most challenging in more than a decade. Sitting only sixth in the standings with no podium finishes and watching Leclerc secure seven, the 40-year-old has grappled with an uncooperative car, an adjustment to Ferrari’s vast and complex ecosystem, and the extraordinary expectations that come with wearing the scarlet red.

Yet through every trial, he insists his work ethic has only strengthened.

“It’s been a really heavy year,” Hamilton admitted. “The busiest year I think I’ve ever had. I’ve been at the factory more than at any other factory before. There’s been so much to do and so much to learn.”

For a driver often accused—sometimes unfairly—of dividing his time between racing and outside passions, Hamilton’s message was clear: this transition is consuming him, and he welcomes it.

Inside the Ferrari Pressure Cooker

Ferrari is unlike any other team in motorsport. It is expectation, tradition, mythology and obsession fused into one. Hamilton knew what he was signing up for.

“I joined this team knowing full well that it takes time to steer a ship in a different direction,” he said. “It’s a huge organisation. There are so many moving parts. You can’t fix it with a snap of your fingers.”

Ferrari’s latest blow came in Brazil, where both drivers retired to compound a season riddled with inconsistency. The team now sits fourth in the constructors’ standings—36 points behind Mercedes, and within touching distance of Red Bull but trending in the wrong direction.

Still, Hamilton insists there is unity inside Ferrari, even after Elkann’s sharp public intervention.

“I know where John’s intentions are,” he said. “We speak several times a week. It’s all about bringing the team together. The passion runs so deep.”

For Hamilton, passion isn’t the problem—results are. And he knows it.

Climbing a Mountain in Ferrari Red

Hamilton described this season as a relentless uphill battle.

“It’s like we’re climbing up a mountain,” he said. “Then you arrive at the weekend and slip a few steps back—or 10 steps back. You have to get up and try again the next time.”

But the resilience he has discovered in himself, he insists, has been one unexpected positive.

“This year has reminded me how resilient I am,” he said. “I’ve backed this team 100%, and I back myself 100%. I truly believe that when we get things right, it’s going to be amazing.”

That optimism is quintessential Hamilton—not blind, but unwavering. Even with the season’s harsh reality, he still savours the experience of being a Ferrari driver.

“I still pinch myself, honestly,” he said. “That I get to drive a Ferrari. That I get to represent so many amazing people back at the factory.”

Leclerc Responds: ‘John Called Me’

Hamilton was not the only driver under the microscope. Leclerc confirmed that Elkann phoned him the morning after the São Paulo Grand Prix to warn him of the comments he was about to make.

“John called me to catch up,” Leclerc explained. “He said the message he wanted to send was a positive one—that we want to do better.”

Leclerc added that he has “always tried my best” and will continue pushing to improve.

Within Ferrari, the message was intended to rally. Outside Ferrari, it came across as a pointed rebuke. But both drivers seem content to accept the criticism as part of the job.

A Difficult Start, but a Driver Not Done

Hamilton’s season has not been without bright spots. He won the sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix early in the year, showing flashes of the brilliance that defined his Mercedes era. But the elusive first podium in red remains the missing piece.

The novelty of his new team, however, has not worn off.

“It’s a privilege,” Hamilton said. “Even with everything that’s happened, it’s a privilege.”

Whether that privilege will soon extend to podiums or even victories remains to be seen. But in the glitz of Las Vegas, one message stood taller than any neon sign:

Lewis Hamilton is not going anywhere.

He is not discouraged.
He is not worn down.
He is not losing sight of what he came to Ferrari to do.

In his own words:
“I cannot wait for that moment. I truly believe that will happen.”

And until then, he will keep doing what he insists he has always done.

Wake up thinking about driving.
Go to sleep thinking about driving.
And—somehow—think about driving even in his dreams.