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According to seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari has now found the "right formula" after successfully piecing together various changes to transform the team.
This season, Hamilton has openly discussed the extensive changes he requested at Ferrari to enable the team to contend for the world title. He currently sits third in the drivers' standings, tied with George Russell on 183 points.
Both drivers are 59 points behind leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli, but by 2026, Ferrari is consistently fighting for wins and regular podiums. Hamilton has secured five podium finishes in 12 races, including his maiden victory with the Prancing Horse in Barcelona. One of the key changes Hamilton pushed for, and which team principal Fred Vasseur managed to implement, was an overhaul of Ferrari's braking system. Now, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both use Carbon Industries brake discs.
This change was implemented within a braking system that is otherwise supplied by Brembo, a company with a strong relationship with Ferrari. However, the switch was made to accommodate Hamilton's comfort and familiarity with Carbon Industries discs, developed over his 12 seasons at Mercedes.
"It's a combination of many things. I think we've made a lot of changes to the car, so it's not just one thing; it's all the pieces of the puzzle," Hamilton stated. "We've moved a lot of things around; there have been many changes, whether in the engineering department, the processes, or the car's design, which is obviously quite different in this new generation. But we've made a lot of changes, and I think we're in a better position. I believe we now have great collaboration. It took us about a year to get in sync, but I think we're there now.""We're moving in the right direction as a collective, and the things I had asked for eventually happened over time. I feel that now, having achieved results, it shows it's working, and I feel we have the right formula.""So now we're doubling down and continuing to improve. Last year, one of the things I said was that Ferrari needed to be the innovators and everyone else would follow. And this year, we are the innovators. You know, people are following our rear wing designs, our exhaust system, so I just think we're heading in the right direction. I believe we're in a really good position. We just need to keep building on this foundation we've established," concluded the seven-time champion.
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