Lewis Hamilton has said he will “step away from the Matrix” during F1’s winter break after a tough first season with Ferrari.
Hamilton failed to finish on the podium for the first time in an F1 season, finishing 86 points behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ championship.
The 40-year-old, who previously described 2025 as the “worst season ever” and a “nightmare”, will test tires in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday before taking a full break from F1 until a few weeks before pre-season testing at the end of January.
“At the moment I’m just looking forward to the rest of the day,” said Hamilton, who recovered from a 16th place start to eighth in Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“I just disconnect, I don’t talk to anyone. No one will be able to contact me this winter. I don’t carry my phone with me and I’m looking forward to it. I’m completely disconnected from the Matrix.”
Asked if he had ever gone without his phone for such a long period of time, Hamilton replied: “No, I always had it with me. But this time it’s in the trash.”
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Anthony Davidson reflects on Lewis Hamilton’s huge crash during final practice in Abu Dhabi
Hamilton finished last in Las Vegas qualifying on pure pace for the first time in his career, was eliminated in SQ1 and Q1 at the Qatar Sprint weekend, failed to make Q2 again in Abu Dhabi, and suffered four consecutive losses in the first half of qualifying to close out 2025.
The Ferrari driver said he felt “unbearable anger and rage” after his recent Q1 knockout, but said his fans and family had supported him this year.
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Lewis Hamilton suffered his final Q1 loss of the season in qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“I’ve had great support from a lot of people who have traveled all over the world and sent messages,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“My fans are what kept me going and they really have been a rock. My mom is phenomenal, my dad and my family. I’m lucky to have those good people around me.
“I really appreciate the young kids and adults cheering me on and reminding me why I’m doing what I do and to never give up.”
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Lewis Hamilton says his support network of family and fans helped him overcome a disappointing first season at Ferrari
Vasseur: The season has been difficult since Bahrain
Ferrari had high hopes heading into 2025 after narrowly missing out on the constructors’ championship to McLaren, but they have been buoyed by Hamilton’s addition to the team.
However, team principal Frédéric Vasseur said it became clear early on that Ferrari was in for a difficult season and decided to halt development in April.
“The season was difficult overall, but you have to separate weekend performance, season performance and long-term team development,” he said.
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Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz looks at five reasons why Lewis Hamilton struggled in his first season at Ferrari
“To be honest, the season has been difficult, but it was true from the first day in Bahrain that pace is not magic. Then the start of the season was very difficult for us because of the disqualification in race two in China. We lost 25 points and started the season on the back foot. After three or four races, McLaren were leading by more than 100 points. When your goal is to win, you end up on the back foot a little bit.”
“But we are competitors. We want good results, we want to win races and we had a few very good recoveries during the season. We had one after the summer break, but our pace was improving.”
“But this season we struggled with the little things, because at the end of the day you have to keep in mind that if you make a small mistake or you’re not in the right frame, you’re out of Q1 in sixth or seventh, and the weekend after you’re sixth or seventh you’re out. McLaren and Max[Verstappen]had a small gap at the end of the season that allowed them to deal with the problem.”
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