Frédéric Vasseur, Ferrari team principal, stated that Lewis Hamilton’s recovery in Formula 1 did not happen because of a single decisive moment. According to the manager, the improvement of the seven-time world champion came from a combination of adapting to the team and the car’s evolution.
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After a complicated debut season with Ferrari, Hamilton is having a great phase in 2026. The Briton has achieved five podiums, won in Barcelona, and currently occupies third position in the World Championship, just 32 points behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The performance change contrasts with the previous year, when Hamilton had his first season without podiums in Formula 1.
Asked about what explains the transformation, Vasseur highlighted the joint work between driver and team: “I think it comes from both sides. That we know Lewis better, he knows the team better. That we have been working on the car from the start, because he was there when we started the project a long time ago,” he said. “Stone by stone, it’s not that there is a watershed moment, it’s not a single stone, it’s much more aligned today. The car is probably also better than last year, for sure, and step by step we are improving.”
Jenson Button, 2009 world champion and former teammate of Hamilton at McLaren, also analyzed the driver’s recovery. For him, the main change is linked to the current Formula 1 car, which better adapts to the Briton’s driving style. “I’m sure that during the winter they had time to sit down and discuss what worked for him, what didn’t work for him,” Button told Sky Sports F1 Show.
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The champion believes that adapting to Ferrari and the new race engineer also influenced, but considers the car the most important factor. “It’s the first year, you know, their relationship, the relationship with the engineer is always very complicated, especially when you left someone like Bono [Peter Bonnington] at Mercedes. It’s a very close relationship. So, that takes time.”
For Button, Hamilton has found a car again with characteristics closer to what he is used to. “Most of it is simply the car. The car suits his style more. It’s a Formula 1 car that he is used to driving in terms of feel.”
The former driver also recalled that Hamilton had not been showing his best level in recent years at Mercedes, when he was even outqualified by George Russell: “So, I think it’s more due to the style of the cars. We are back to a car that is more natural now. It’s a more normal Formula 1 car.”
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