Lewis Hamilton’s relationship with Ferrari has been tested in the second half of the 2026 season.

Hamilton apologised on social media for his sarcastic radio messages criticising the team at the Dutch GP, where they refused to swap the cars despite his clear tyre advantage over Charles Leclerc.

When he tried to pass Leclerc at the start of the Italian GP and ended up in the gravel, losing six places, he lamented the lack of ‘rules’ of engagement. He also implied that the team should have been prioritising his pursuit of Kimi Antonelli in the championship.

Ferrari never confirmed 2027 extension for Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton has, it should be acknowledged, defended Ferrari at times, too. After their slick-tyre gamble backfired in Malaysia, he questioned why they received more ‘flak’ than the other teams who made the same decision.

And in Singapore, Hamilton took responsibility for dropping from third to sixth after refusing a call to pit behind the virtual safety car.

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Hamilton didn’t conduct any media after the race at Marina Bay because he was feeling unwell, but Fred Vasseur made clear he had defied instructions.

Previously, Vasseur rejected Hamilton’s claim about rules of engagement, insisting that both drivers were aware of their responsibilities even without a written document.

For journalist Julianne Cerasoli, this underlines a shift in Ferrari’s communication post-Zandvoort, with Hamilton and Vasseur ‘airing all their dirty laundry’ in public.

She pointed out that Ferrari were widely expected to announce a Hamilton extension before Monza, but there still hasn’t been formal confirmation. The length of his deal wasn’t specified when he first joined in 2025, with some suggesting that an option had to be triggered for 2027.

There is no doubt that Hamilton will continue – Vasseur has indicated as much – but the lack of fanfare is intriguing. Ordinarily, teams would make an announcement even when it’s considered a formality.

“Everything was going perfectly at Ferrari, but then came the Dutch GP, where Hamilton left feeling very unhappy and really lashed out at the team,” Cerasoli said on UOL’s Pole Position show. “I believe even Ferrari made him apologise – he did so on social media – because the next race was in Italy.

“And in Italy, everyone was expecting the announcement of Hamilton’s contract renewal. The English press was certain that the announcement would come, but it never did.

“I was thinking about this the other day: remember that Thursday at Monza, when Hamilton showed up in that [Ferrari] F40, sharing that fantastic story and all? I wonder if that was just a smokescreen – knowing full well that the announcement everyone was expecting that day wasn’t going to happen, and it still hasn’t to this day.

“We’re talking about early September. Since then, it’s just been Hamilton calling out the team, and Fred Vasseur – as team principal – calling out Hamilton whenever he makes a mistake. They’re airing all their dirty laundry in front of the media.”

At this stage, it seems likely that Hamilton simply continues into next year without an official announcement. Haas have yet to confirm that Ferrari academy driver Oliver Bearman, the only realistic alternative, will race for them in 2027, but it’s only a matter of time.

Hamilton won his first race for Ferrari in Barcelona back in June but has only scored two podiums in the 10 races since. Charles Leclerc took victory at Silverstone but that would still be a disappointing return for the team if they fail to add to it.

“Everything happening inside Ferrari right now is very strange,” Cerasoli said. “It would certainly help the team’s stability if the car simply started performing better, if they could get back to winning. It doesn’t take much for the mood at Ferrari to shift from total despair to pure excitement.”

Ferrari will introduce an upgrade at the United States Grand Prix this weekend in the hope of finishing strongly and carrying some momentum into 2027. They are still looking to tie down second place in the constructors’, with Red Bull’s charge no doubt causing some anxiety.