Lewis Hamilton is living one of the great stories of the 2026 Formula 1 season. After facing a difficult spell in his first year with Ferrari in 2025, the seven-time world champion managed to rebound and now stands as the main challenger to Mercedes in the standings.
The transformation is striking because the scene was completely different just a year ago. In 2025, the Brit was going through a challenging adaptation phase and racking up results below expectations, while now he has already secured his first victory with the Italian team and sits in second place in the standings.
During last season, Hamilton showed strong frustration with his performance. After failing to reach Q3 at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix and watching Charles Leclerc take pole, the driver delivered a harsh self-critique. At the time, he stated: “I’m useless, absolutely useless. The team isn’t the problem. You saw that the car is on pole. So probably we need to change drivers,” he said at the time.
Less than a year later, the situation has changed radically. The Brit returned to win in Formula 1 with Ferrari and began to be regarded as one of the names in the title fight. Currently, he trails leader Kimi Antonelli by 41 points, and also challenges George Russell in the battle for the top positions.
Hamilton’s rise has drawn even the attention of Toto Wolff. The Mercedes boss admitted that he would prefer to avoid a direct title duel against his former driver: “I would rather not fight him for a title. I know what he is capable of. When he smells blood, he attacks. I’ve seen that for many years, and then it is very difficult to stop him,” the executive said.
Ferrari chief Frédéric Vasseur attributed the British driver’s recovery to the resilience he demonstrated in the face of adversity. According to the Frenchman, Hamilton faced tough moments both in his final season with Mercedes and in his first year at Maranello, but remained committed to the project.
“It has a lot to do with resilience. He went through difficult moments. Spa was a place where he was a bit down last year and still building his relationship with the team. Even so, he kept the same energy for the project and continued pushing the factory. That’s part of the results we’re seeing now,” concluded Vasseur.
Despite Hamilton’s recent prominence, Vasseur also showed confidence in Leclerc. The executive said he was more optimistic about the Monégasque’s performance than a few weeks ago, noting that he had regained confidence in the car and displayed more positive sensations during the most recent weekend, even after facing strategic setbacks during the race.
