Lewis Hamilton brought a touch of festive generosity to Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters last week, transforming himself into an unlikely Father Christmas as he handed out gifts to more than 1,000 factory staff during a visit to their team factory.
The seven-time world champion personally presented every member of the Scuderia Ferrari workforce with a distinctly British care package from Fortnum & Mason, a gesture that was both symbolic and carefully chosen.
Each box contained English breakfast tea, lemon curd cookies, traditional tea biscuits and Neapolitan chocolates, alongside a signed photograph and a handwritten note reading: “Happy Holidays, From Lewis.”
The visit was widely interpreted as a show of solidarity with the side, who endured a difficult campaign last time out.
Hamilton, now 40, joined Ferrari last season after 12 years at Mercedes, a period that yielded six of his seven world titles and established him as one of the sport’s defining figures.
On track, however, the transition has been far from seamless.
Hamilton finished the season 86 points behind his teammate Charles Leclerc and, for the first time in his Grand Prix career, failed to reach the podium across an entire campaign.
F1 facts fans might not know | GETTY/GBNEWS
His sole highlight came in March with victory in the sprint race in China, a fleeting reminder of his enduring quality amid broader frustration.
Those struggles have not gone unnoticed by his rivals.
Max Verstappen, Hamilton’s fierce adversary during their title fight in 2021, admitted it was painful to watch the Briton’s difficulties unfold.
Lewis Hamilton endured a difficult first year at Ferrari
|
PA
“It has obviously not been a nice season for him at Ferrari,” the Red Bull driver said recently.
“You notice that in everything, including the onboard radio. I have to tell you, it really hurts to see him like that. For me, too, to be honest. I don’t like seeing that.”
Verstappen was quick to dismiss any suggestion that Hamilton’s competitive fire had dimmed, however.
“Stopping, I don’t know, because I don’t think he’s giving up,” he said. “Lewis will definitely be there.”
The Dutchman also highlighted the scale of the challenge Hamilton has taken on by leaving Mercedes, a team he described as a “second family”.
“If you don’t feel secure or comfortable within the team dynamic you cannot be yourself and that has an impact,” Verstappen explained.
Max Verstappen has backed Lewis Hamilton to bounce back and prove his quality in 2026
|
GETTY“You leave a team that has been your second family in Mercedes and you have built up such a career with them.
“Everyone benefited off that, Mercedes and Lewis, and then going in a completely different route is not easy, plus you are going up against a guy that has been there for a while. It is very tough.”
Age, Verstappen suggested, is another complicating factor.
“And age is not on your side,” he added. “You are not going to become faster at that age, not necessarily slower, but definitely not faster, whereas Charles is still getting better, so that is also not helping him.”
Hamilton turns 41 in January and remains under contract with Ferrari for the next two seasons, a timeframe that leaves little room for sentimentality in a sport driven by results.
Yet his visit to Maranello, laden with gifts and personal messages, hinted that he’s certainly intending to stay put rather than bring the curtain down on his illustrious career.
