Lewis Hamilton will 'completely unplug from matrix' after tiring F1 season with Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton has shared that he plans to throw his phone "in the frickin' bin" in the F1 offseason. The seven-time F1 champion had the worst season of his career with Ferrari, in what was expected to be an unbelievable partnership before it started.

However, the hype fizzled quicker than carbon dioxide bubbles exiting a soft drink bottle upon its opening. Unfortunately, at no point in the season did the hope restore. With Ferrari having stopped development of its 2025 car in April, it kept losing to a new team every other weekend.

Lewis Hamilton was a bigger victim compared to teammate Charles Leclerc of the Scuderia's underperformance and racked up unwanted records. He finished the season as the first Ferrari driver with three consecutive Q1 exits, broke the record for most races with the Italian team without a podium, and for the first time in his career, went through an entire F1 season without a podium.

After the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he finished in an impressive P8 after starting P16, Hamilton was just happy to get done with this season. The 40-year-old vowed to completely disconnect from his work and the world, saying (via Autosport):

"No one's going to be able to get a hold of me this winter. I won't have my phone with me. It's going in the frickin' bin. I'm looking forward to that. Just completely unplugged from the matrix."

Lewis Hamilton also shared that he plans to spend more time with his nieces and his family during the offseason, and more importantly, focus on his health and "sleep a lot."

Though the seven-time champion had an impressive comeback at the Abu Dhabi GP, which saw him gain eight places and make most of the overtaking highlights, the championship battle at the front took center stage. Max Verstappen did his best and won the race, but Lando Norris, who had a 12-point lead heading into the weekend, did what he had to do and finished on the podium in P3 to win his first F1 title.

Lewis Hamilton appreciates 'phenomenal' support from his parents and fans amid Ferrari nightmare

Lewis Hamilton greets fans at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton found himself in dire emotional states at many points in the 2025 F1 season. Sometimes, Ferrari's operational challenges played spoilsport, while other times, the SF25 didn't let him perform as well as teammate Charles Leclerc, who has adapted well to the team's working since joining it in 2019.

Before the summer break, Hamilton called himself "useless," a sentiment he somewhat echoed after getting eliminated in Q1 during Abu Dhabi GP qualifying, claiming that the team deserved better than that. When asked after the race what helped him get through the dark days, he replied:

"I've had amazing support from so many people that travel around the world to support me or send me messages. So my fans have been the thing that have kept me going, really been the rock."

"My mum has really been a phenomenal supporter, you know, and my dad and my family as well, so I would say just luckily I've got those good people around me. And then, as I said, each weekend I see young kids and adults rooting me on and reminding me why I do what I do and not to give up, which I'm really appreciative of," he further added.

Lewis Hamilton had addressed a question after the Qatar GP about his possible retirement on the heels of his 'nightmare' 2025 season with Ferrari. However, he dismissed the possibility, emphasizing that he was excited to race in a new generation of cars, with F1 bringing a technical overhaul from 2026 onwards.