Lewis Hamilton insists he “doesn’t care” where he finishes in this year’s championship standings. The British driver said building solid groundwork for next season is “more important” and stays hopeful he can challenge for race victories and mount a title challenge behind the wheel of a Ferrari he has helped to develop.

Hamilton is on course to end the year sixth in the drivers’ standings and trails team-mate Charles Leclerc, who sits one spot above him, by 64 points. The pair haven’t won a Grand Prix all season, with Hamilton’s Sprint race triumph in March representing the team’s only silverware in 2025.

“It’s been a challenging year but that was expected, to be honest,” Hamilton said ahead of this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix. “I’m joining a new team, a new culture and I’m well aware that progress takes time. It’s been a year of foundation-building. Maybe it’s been harder this year to build that foundation, where I am.”

He continued: “I do feel like we’re progressing and I feel like I’m getting to a place now where I’m well-placed for next year – and that’s more important. We’re not fighting for a championship now. Right now, our job is to try to get the best results to do the best in the constructors’ championship.”

Ferrari arrive in Sao Paulo sitting second behind McLaren, who have already sealed the constructors’ championship. However, the fight for runner-up spot remains fiercely contested, with the Scuderia holding just a one-point advantage over Mercedes.

Red Bull also lurk dangerously close with merely 10 points separating second and fourth positions, the Milton Keynes squad helped by the late-season charge of their lead driver Max Verstappen who remains in the fight for the drivers’ title.

With that battle and his 2026 ambitions in focus, Hamilton has dismissed personal achievements in these closing races. He said: “The drivers’ position, no one cares really… I don’t care really about fifth or sixth or anything like that.

“It’s more about trying to keep second place for the team. But I think next year is the year where it will be a car that I’ve had something to do [with] helping to develop, so I’m hoping it’s a good year.”

Meanwhile, team-mate Leclerc arrived in Brazil as a newly-engaged man following his proposal to partner Alexandra Saint Mleux. “I’m very, very happy. Obviously, it was a special week, full of emotions,” the Monegasque smiled whilst addressing journalists. “It’s obviously a very special moment for anyone to take that step, and Alex and I are incredibly happy.”

Discussing his fiancée’s trackside presence, Leclerc added: “She’s incredibly engaged [in Formula 1], not technically, of course. But as all of us, I think we are all human, and I think we are all supported by the people that are closest to us, and Alex is the closest person that I have, with my family, obviously.”