The first eight races of the 2026 Formula 1 season have shown that Lewis Hamilton has already achieved what may be the most difficult milestone of his entire career. It is not reflected in the championship standings or measured by the number of victories, but it may ultimately prove to be just as significant.
The title of this article is deliberately provocative. That clarification is necessary because, these days, too many readers stop at the headline without taking the time to understand the argument being made. It is not due to any lack of intelligence, of course, but simply because many people are reluctant to read an article that is, in reality, not even that long. In modern Formula 1, headlines often spread much faster than the full story, and opinions are frequently formed before the complete context has even been considered.
A recent example illustrates the point perfectly. Another article published by ScuderiaFans.com generated some rather emotional reactions because part of the fanbase misunderstood the message it was trying to convey, focusing exclusively on the headline. That is ultimately their loss. The ability to look beyond the surface is a valuable quality, and anyone can still develop it by becoming more attentive and evaluating situations for what they truly are rather than relying on first impressions alone.
With that important clarification out of the way, let us get to the main point. Lewis Hamilton has not won a Formula 1 World Championship with Ferrari. Absolutely not. And, in all likelihood, he will not do so this season either. Looking at the competitive picture after the opening eight rounds of the championship, it would be extremely difficult to argue otherwise.
The only victory achieved by a car other than the Mercedes W17 in the opening eight races belongs to Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton. That success alone deserves recognition because it interrupted what had otherwise become a dominant run by Mercedes. The other seven wins, however, confirm a trend that has become increasingly clear after more than one-third of the championship: the Mercedes W17 remains the benchmark.
Ferrari has come very close on several occasions, showing genuine improvements compared to last season, while Red Bull demonstrated yesterday that it is capable of joining the fight under the right circumstances. Even so, when it comes to consistency over an entire race weekend, the first eight races have demonstrated that George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli possess the strongest overall technical package currently available on the Formula 1 grid. The Drivers’ Championship and Constructors’ Championship standings reflect that reality, and championship tables rarely lie over the course of several races.
So why can it be said that Lewis Hamilton has already won his championship in red? Because it is a metaphorical championship. It is not about points, trophies or statistics. It is the championship of redemption, the victory of proving people wrong after an incredibly difficult period of his career.
Hamilton’s redemption is worth a championship
The 2025 season was, in many respects, an extremely difficult one for Lewis Hamilton. It represented one of the most challenging campaigns the seven-time Formula 1 world champion had ever experienced. He struggled to adapt to a completely new environment, found it difficult to understand the characteristics of the Ferrari SF-25, and was unable to unlock the car in the same way Charles Leclerc managed to do, with the Monegasque driver securing several podium finishes despite the obvious limitations of the package.
Charles Leclerc appeared to establish a stronger connection with the SF-25 almost immediately. While the car was far from perfect, Charles Leclerc managed to extract competitive performances from it on multiple occasions. The British driver, by comparison, never looked completely comfortable throughout much of that season.
Instead, Lewis Hamilton managed only a Sprint Race victory in China and another podium in a sprint event. For the first time in his Formula 1 career, he completed an entire season without standing on the podium in a Grand Prix. For a driver whose career has been built on extraordinary consistency and relentless success, that statistic alone was enough to convince many observers that the end was approaching.
Throughout that difficult campaign, criticism became louder. Former drivers, television pundits and even some Ferrari supporters began questioning whether Lewis Hamilton had made the right decision by leaving Mercedes. Others openly wondered whether age had finally caught up with him after more than two decades competing at the highest level of motorsport. This year, however, the story appears to be completely different.
The new generation of Formula 1 cars suits Lewis Hamilton’s driving style much better. The Ferrari SF-26 impressed him from his very first laps behind the wheel, and every upgrade introduced throughout the season has given him even greater confidence. Rather than fighting against the characteristics of the car, Lewis Hamilton has gradually been able to work with them, allowing his natural strengths to reappear.
Perhaps even more importantly, Lewis Hamilton now looks relaxed inside the cockpit. His confidence has steadily returned, his communication with the team appears far more effective, and his performances have become increasingly consistent from one weekend to the next.
It must also be acknowledged that the Briton has established himself as a technical leader within the team. A clear example is Ferrari’s decision to adopt Carbone Industrie brake discs, a change strongly supported by the seven-time Formula 1 world champion, which has significantly improved his overall confidence in the car. It was not simply a personal preference, but a technical direction that has positively influenced his feeling under braking, one of the most critical aspects of modern Formula 1 performance.
This demonstrates that Lewis Hamilton is not simply driving the Ferrari SF-26. He is actively contributing to its development, helping guide the engineers toward solutions that better suit both his own driving style and the overall competitiveness of the car. His greatest victory has been proving to the world—and, above all, to himself—that he is far from finished as a racing driver.
Many believed Lewis Hamilton had joined Ferrari simply to enjoy a prestigious final chapter of his career, convinced that Fred Vasseur and John Elkann viewed him primarily as a commercial and marketing asset rather than a technical investment. Those doubts became even stronger during the disappointing 2025 campaign, when results failed to justify the enormous expectations surrounding his arrival in Maranello. The reality, however, is telling a completely different story.
Lewis Hamilton has made Ferrari his own
The seven-time world champion is demonstrating that he can play a decisive role in developing the car, help shape the team’s technical direction, and still fight for podiums and victories. His influence now extends well beyond what happens during a Grand Prix weekend. Inside Ferrari, his experience accumulated across nearly two decades at the very highest level has become one of the team’s most valuable assets.
The problems of 2025 were not the result of a driver who had lost his ability. They were the consequence of a driver who had lost his comfort zone. A complicated relationship with former race engineer Riccardo Adami, a difficult car to understand, and an unfamiliar environment combined to create the perfect conditions for his performances to suffer.
Every Formula 1 driver depends on confidence. Even the greatest champions require a car that responds naturally to their instincts and a working environment built on trust and communication. Without those elements, even exceptional talent can appear ordinary for a period of time. After a year of hard adaptation, during which Lewis Hamilton himself admitted that he had questioned whether he was still capable of continuing in Formula 1, the 2026 version of the British driver has returned looking composed, confident and mentally stronger than ever.
That psychological transformation may actually be even more significant than the improvements in outright performance. Lewis Hamilton once again appears to be enjoying the challenge of competing, working closely with the engineers and extracting everything possible from the Ferrari SF-26.
His performances tell an objective story. On more than one occasion, they have matched—and sometimes clearly surpassed—those of Charles Leclerc. Considering Charles Leclerc has long been regarded as Ferrari’s benchmark driver, that achievement should not be underestimated.
None of this means that Charles Leclerc has suddenly become a slower driver. Rather, it demonstrates how effectively Lewis Hamilton has rebuilt his confidence after an exceptionally difficult first year with Ferrari. Ferrari will, in all probability, not win the Formula 1 World Championship this season. Likewise, Lewis Hamilton is unlikely to secure his eighth world title in 2026. The competition remains extremely strong, with Mercedes continuing to set the pace and Red Bull also capable of challenging at several circuits throughout the calendar.
Nevertheless, Ferrari appears to be laying important foundations for 2027, when the team will above all need to eliminate the significant engine performance deficit that became so evident yesterday. If Ferrari succeeds in closing that gap while maintaining the positive progress already achieved with the chassis and overall balance of the SF-26, the competitive picture could look very different.
Lewis Hamilton’s contribution to that long-term project may ultimately become just as valuable as any race victory he secures along the way. His experience, technical feedback and leadership could help shape the next generation of Ferrari cars just as much as his performances on track.
The most important challenge of Lewis Hamilton’s career, however, has already been won. At the age of 44, Lewis Hamilton has demonstrated that he is still capable of winning races, making the difference on track, and leading a team back towards the front of the Formula 1 grid. He has reminded the Formula 1 paddock why he became one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport and why his determination should never have been underestimated.
He has also shown that the struggles of 2025 were anything but proof that one of the sport’s greatest champions had reached the end of the road. Instead, they now appear to have been a difficult but necessary period of transition before a remarkable resurgence.
For that reason, many of his critics—those who dismissed Lewis Hamilton as a finished driver just twelve months ago—should now have the intellectual honesty to acknowledge they were wrong and perhaps even apologise for judgments that time has already proven to be misplaced. Whether the Briton ultimately wins another Formula 1 World Championship with Ferrari remains uncertain. That achievement will depend on many factors, including the competitiveness of future cars, the progress of Ferrari’s technical project and the strength of its rivals.
But some victories cannot be measured by championship points alone. Lewis Hamilton has already won the battle that mattered most. He has restored belief in his own abilities, earned back the respect of many who doubted him, and reminded the entire Formula 1 world that greatness does not disappear overnight. In many ways, that achievement is every bit as meaningful as lifting another world championship trophy.
That is why, even if the 2026 title ultimately goes elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton can already look at this season as one of the most significant victories of his extraordinary Formula 1 career.
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