Lewis Hamilton "sure there'll be some tears" in F1 summer break after "intense" Ferrari debut

Lewis Hamilton has described the first half of his debut Formula 1 season with Ferrari as an intense challenge

Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has opened up on the first half of his debut season with Ferrari, claiming that it has "been a real battle" and that he needs to "get away and recharge" during the summer break.

Hamilton decided to part ways with Mercedes after a 12-year stint, which saw him collect six of his seven championship titles, at the end of 2024, to fulfil a lifelong dream of driving for Ferrari. Since joining the Maranello outfit, Hamilton celebrated his first sprint race win with the team in China, and his best grand prix finish so far this year is fourth, which he achieved in the Emilia Romagna, Austrian and British Grands Prix.

The British driver reflected on the season so far ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix - the last race ahead of the F1 summer break.

"The last god knows how many seasons have been hard in their own way," he told Sky Sports F1. "This one has definitely been the most intense one, I would say, just from a work perspective. Integrating into a new culture and into a new team. It's not gone smoothly in all areas, and it's been a real battle.

"I definitely need to get away and recharge, be around the kids, laugh, let go. I'm sure there'll be some tears at some point and I think that's really healthy."

The 40-year-old driver added: "But I'm always excited to race. I love what I do, I love being in red, I love working with this team, I have such belief in this team. It's really hard to explain. I already had it a lot when I was in my previous team. Over time, you really build that camaraderie, and I see the passion in this team and I love it.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

"All I want to do is contribute the best that I can. Of course, I need to do that mostly on track, and I'm not always hitting that, but also in the background. I see there's things that we can always improve and there's things that I can improve on. I'm just really excited for this break.

"I think for everybody, particularly the guys at the factory, they'll definitely enjoy this time with their family and then we'll come back extra energised for the second half."