Lewis Hamilton Tipped for Vintage Ferrari Season in 2026

Lewis Hamilton is facing a defining phase of his Formula 1 career with Scuderia Ferrari in 2026, amid growing belief that the seven-time world champion can deliver a “vintage” season if the team provides the right competitive incentives.

Hamilton’s first campaign with Ferrari in 2025 proved to be the most difficult of his Formula 1 career, as he failed to score a single grand prix podium for the first time since his debut season. Performance limitations, combined with adaptation challenges to Ferrari’s technical environment, prevented consistent results despite expectations surrounding his high-profile move.

Operational factors also played a significant role. Hamilton struggled to establish an effective working relationship with race engineer Riccardo Adami, who was removed from his position last week. The decision came just days before Ferrari’s behind-closed-doors Barcelona test, a critical moment in the team’s early-season technical calibration.

Despite those setbacks, Hamilton has been strongly backed by Ross Brawn, the architect behind his move from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013. Brawn believes Hamilton’s struggles are not indicative of a permanent decline, but rather a symptom of incomplete internal cohesion.

“I think we’d all love for him to be successful, and I’ve got a special place for Ferrari, but I know how tough it is,” Brawn told Sky Sports F1.

“It’s always a fine line between a team gelling and not quite gelling, and it didn’t quite gel last year.”

Brawn stressed that motivation and belief in opportunity remain decisive factors for a driver of Hamilton’s experience. If Ferrari can demonstrate a clear competitive pathway, he expects a marked rise in Hamilton’s performance level.

“But if he gets some incentives, if he sees an opportunity, I think we’ll see a vintage Lewis, so I’m hoping that happens.”

The 2026 season therefore represents a critical inflection point for both Hamilton and Ferrari. Success will depend not only on outright car performance, but on Ferrari’s ability to deliver technical clarity, stable engineering support, and a unified internal structure capable of unlocking Hamilton’s proven championship pedigree as the Formula 1 season progresses.