Lewis Hamilton will head into this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix carrying memories that could hardly be more different from those he left Budapest with a year ago.
Twelve months ago, the Hungaroring witnessed one of the lowest points of the seven-time world champion's Formula 1 career. A shock Q2 elimination while Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc claimed pole prompted Hamilton to label himself "useless" and even suggest that the Scuderia "probably need to change driver."
Fast forward a year, and the picture has been transformed.
Hamilton has rediscovered his form in spectacular fashion during his second season with Ferrari, claiming his maiden victory for the Italian team, adding five podium finishes and already surpassing his entire 2025 points tally after just 10 races.
As he returns to one of his happiest hunting grounds, the Briton says he now feels "worlds away" from the emotional state he endured last summer.
Looking back on that painful weekend, Hamilton admitted it remains a chapter he is not yet ready to fully explain, hinting that the full story will emerge only in the future.
“Definitely proud of everyone in the team, and also, I'm definitely proud of myself for digging myself out of the place that I was in,” Hamilton told reporters on Thursday in Hungary.
“One day when I do my documentary I'll tell you all about that weekend and what led up into it. But to come from there, even coming into this week I felt a lot from last week, and I arrive world’s away from where I was last year.
“Really grateful for where we've developed as a team. The pieces to the puzzle that I knew would come together, and now we come here with a great car, with a great package as a whole, that we can fight with.”
Those comments underline just how dramatically Ferrari's fortunes have changed in the space of a year.
The SF-26 has evolved into a genuine front-running contender, with Leclerc's victory last time out reinforcing the team's upward trajectory. On paper, the Hungaroring's slow, technical layout should also play to Ferrari's strengths, making another victory a realistic possibility.
Ferrari’s SF-26 has evolved into a genuine front-running contender, with Leclerc's victory last time out reinforcing the team's upward trajectory. On paper, the Hungaroring's slow, technical layout should also play to the Italian outfit’s strengths, making another victory a realistic possibility.
Yet Hamilton is refusing to read too much into the encouraging trend.
The 41-year-old, who holds all-time records at the Hungaroring with eight victories and nine pole positions, insists Ferrari cannot afford to become complacent despite its recent progress.
“Every weekend the goal is to try and extract the most from the weekend,” the Briton said.
“I would say we had a couple of really good weekends, and we got to Silverstone and started out strong and one step in the wrong direction that kind of took us away from competing for a win.
“Same thing last week, so that just shows how it can sometimes go in this sport. But I'm still grateful that we've had the consistency, and still score on points. Normally Kimi is so fast he pulls away, and he wasn't ballistic like he normally is, and we were a lot closer than we had thought.
“So to go to two circuits that we thought that we would be quite far behind and be as close as we were, have Charles win the Grand Prix, and second I think is a real good showing that we're moving in the right direction.
Despite Ferrari's resurgence, Hamilton still believes Mercedes remains the benchmark.
“We think Mercedes are still the team to beat,” he said. “They've won almost all the races. They're quick in all circuits, fast and slow speed circuits. They were quick in Monaco, we can anticipate they could be as quick this weekend as well.”
Hamilton's renaissance has lifted him back to second in the championship standings, 45 points behind Ferrari's former junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
But while the mathematics keep him firmly in title contention, Hamilton insists his mindset remains focused entirely on the next session rather than the next three months.
“I'm not thinking about the second part [winning the world championship], I'm thinking about just this weekend, one race at a time,” Hamilton insisted.
“I’m just trying to figure out how I can maximise each weekend, I’m generally not thinking about 10 races from now.”
Given where Hamilton stood a year ago, that approach may be the clearest sign of all that both he and Ferrari have turned a corner. Instead of searching for answers, they arrive in Budapest believing they finally have them – and with a car capable of fighting at the front once again.
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