Lewis Hamilton marked his 41st birthday with a heartfelt reflection – and a message that felt as much like a manifesto as a thank-you note.
After the most difficult season of his Formula 1 career, the seven-time world champion resurfaced on social media with words that cut through disappointment, exhaustion and uncertainty, insisting that for him – and perhaps for others – the “time for change” has arrived.
It was a pointed, philosophical address from a driver who has never measured his legacy purely in trophies.
A season that drained everything
Hamilton’s first year with Ferrari in 2025 was a bruising one. After 12 title-laden seasons with Mercedes, including six world championships, his long-anticipated move to Maranello failed to deliver even a single Grand Prix podium – a first in his 19-season F1 career.
A lone sprint victory in China offered fleeting relief before Ferrari’s SF-25 was effectively abandoned as a development project by the end of April, leaving Hamilton to wrestle with a car that no longer evolved and a team still learning how to work around him.
Lewis Hamilton checked in this week from the snowy slopes of Colorado.
By the time the season ended in Abu Dhabi, the fatigue was unmistakable. Hamilton admitted he wanted silence, even joking he would throw his phone away to escape the noise. For weeks, he disappeared.
Then, on his birthday, he returned.
“Another return,” Hamilton wrote on Instagram. “I’m incredibly grateful for this break. Time to disconnect, recharge and find a bit of inner peace.
“Time with family and friends replenishing with rest and good laughs has been everything I needed after a very draining year.”
He spoke openly about stepping away from the chaos that has surrounded him for much of his career.
“In a world that moves so fast, where we’re constantly being pulled in so many directions, truly disconnecting has been the most amazing feeling.”
‘The time for change is now’
Hamilton’s message quickly shifted from personal recovery to something broader and more deliberate. Drawing on symbolism and self-awareness, he framed the moment as a turning point.
“I’m conscious that we’re entering the Year of the Horse and leaving behind the Year of the Snake. The time for change is now. Starting new routines, leaving behind unwanted patterns and working on growth,” he added.
©Ferrari
There was no illusion that change comes easily.
“Let go of things that don’t serve you. This can take time. There will be things you can’t get rid of immediately, but it starts with the first step.”
The words carried added weight given Hamilton’s recent struggles – a champion forced to confront failure, doubt and reinvention at an age when most drivers have long since stepped away.
Yet his message remained outward-looking, grounded in empathy rather than frustration.
“Even though the world can seem like a mess, I hope that you’re staying focused on living life to the fullest.”
Read also: Peter Sauber reveals missed F1 deal with… Lewis HamiltonHe closed by turning the spotlight back on the people who have followed him through triumph and turmoil alike.
“Be you and never forget who you are. I learnt that from many of you who told me this in 2025, and I’ll never forget again!” he said.
“Your support means the world to me, and I’m here for you, too. You are never alone. Let’s take it one day at a time, one step at a time.”
At 41, Lewis Hamilton is no longer chasing youth or proving his place in history – that work is done.
What remains, as his birthday message made clear, is evolution. And as he prepares for a second season in Ferrari red, Hamilton has made one thing unmistakably clear: change is not coming later. For him, it starts now.
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