Optimism is flowing again at Scuderia Ferrari, with Lewis Hamilton at the centre of it all. However, a grave warning has been issued to Ferrari that, despite positive signs and encouragement, prominent paddock figures are warning fans not to get ahead of themselves for the coming 2026 season.
After a frustrating first season in the red team, the seven-time world champion believes that his second year with the Italian giants could finally deliver the breakthrough that he and the team have been craving. The tone has shifted. The body language has changed. The message to supporters ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season is clear: he is ready.
A Humbling First Year in Red
Hamilton’s debut season with Ferrari did not live up to the extraordinary hype surrounding his blockbuster move. For a driver whose career has been defined by relentless winning, pole positions and podium finishes, 2025 was sobering.
He finished sixth in the drivers’ standings, behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, and failed to stand on the podium even once for the first time in his Formula 1 career. For many observers, it was one of the toughest campaigns of his long and decorated career.
The adaptation process proved more complex than expected. Ferrari’s car characteristics did not always suit his driving style, and operational inconsistencies cost the team valuable points across the season. There were flashes of pace, but not the sustained competitiveness required to compete at the top level.
For Hamilton, it was a year of recalibration rather than celebration.
Hamilton: “I know what to do”
Yet adversity appears to have reignited something inside the 41-year-old. Speaking after winter testing, Hamilton struck a markedly different tone compared to this time last year.
Rather than cautious optimism, he spoke with conviction. Rather than visible frustration, there was energy.
“I know what to do,” he said, delivering a message that felt as personal as it was professional.
Hamilton admitted that, at times during his first season with Ferrari, he had lost sight of himself amid the enormous pressure and expectation surrounding his arrival in Maranello. The move had been presented as a fairy-tale ending, a legendary champion joining Formula 1’s most iconic team. The reality proved far more complex.
Now, he insists, that will not happen again.
Encouraging signs in Bahrain
Ferrari’s performance during pre-season testing in Bahrain has bolstered that optimism.
However, testing times are notoriously unreliable indicators of true performance. Fuel loads, engine modes and programme differences between teams make direct comparisons difficult. Illusions are common. False narratives are easily created.
Beyond the headline lap times, Ferrari appeared consistent and stable over longer runs. There were no major reliability issues or dramatic balance crises forcing emergency garage sessions. The car looked predictable, a quality Ferrari has sometimes lacked in recent seasons.
In modern Formula 1, drivability and tyre management often matter more than raw single-lap pace. Early indications suggest progress in both areas. Long-run consistency appeared improved, and the car seemed less sensitive to wind changes than its predecessor. Couple this in with some truly unique looking aero pieces such as the fully rotating ‘upside down’ rear wing, plus the lighting get aways during practice race starts, fans and pundits have good reason to be positive.
Further, Hamilton repeatedly emphasised that feeling comfortable in the car is critical. Confidence under braking, trust in the rear end, and consistency through medium-speed corners are all key to his driving style. In Bahrain, he appeared far more at ease than during several race weekends last year.
“It’s going to be a damn good season,” he said, a bold statement given the disappointment of 2025.
Scepticism remains, however.
Would you like to see more TJ13 Formula 1 coverage? Add us to your favourites list on Google to receive trusted F1 news.
Sobering assessment from the paddock
Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has cast doubt on Ferrari’s ability to deliver in 2026. Speaking to Vision4Sport, the Colombian was blunt in his assessment:
“Ferrari won’t deliver! It’s simply hard to imagine. It’s the same every year. I just can’t see how they’ll manage it. I just can’t imagine it,” he said.
Montoya admitted that he would like to see Hamilton crowned world champion in a Ferrari.
“I think that would be great,” he added. However, he suggested that belief is not built on sentiment.
Ferrari’s recent history fuels such scepticism. Promising winters have often been followed by inconsistent campaigns. Development races have been lost. Strategic errors have resurfaced. It has proved difficult to sustain momentum across a full season.
From that perspective, Montoya’s caution reflects a narrative that is shared across the paddock: Ferrari must demonstrate their capabilities on the track over multiple race weekends before expectations can be adjusted.
A Regulatory Opportunity?
However, there are reasons to believe that this year could unfold differently.
Former Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes that recent regulatory changes could favour Hamilton. Speaking to the German Press Agency (dpa), the 95-year-old suggested that the comprehensive rule adjustments could reset certain competitive dynamics.
“I believe that Lewis is getting to the bottom of why things haven’t worked out at Ferrari so far and is drawing the right conclusions,” he said.
He added that he had heard Ferrari were “quite happy” with their new car and offered a pointed observation: “It looks like things will go better for Ferrari this year. It can hardly get any worse.”
While blunt, this comment reflects the reality of 2025. Expectations were sky-high, but the outcome fell significantly short. In that context, even incremental improvement would represent meaningful progress.
Regulation shifts often create windows of opportunity. Hamilton has historically adapted well to new eras, most notably in 2014 and 2017. If Ferrari has interpreted the new framework effectively, the competitive order could tighten.
MORE F1 NEWS – Piastri to Ferrari or Red Bull? Montoya Drops Shock F1 Transfer Bombshell
Finding the ‘sweet spot’
Former driver Ralf Schumacher offered a more nuanced assessment. He believes that Ferrari’s prospects may depend on whether they can unlock what he described as the ‘sweet spot’ for Hamilton in the SF-26.
“Once he finds it, he’ll be superb,” said Schumacher. “There’s no question he still has the speed.”
However, he also acknowledged that, as demonstrated in 2025, things are no longer effortless for Hamilton.
“We saw last year that things aren’t as easy for him anymore and mistakes happen.”
This observation highlights a broader truth. Hamilton, aged 41, is competing against a grid full of younger drivers who have grown up with the current generation of ground-effect cars. Margins are fine. Time to adapt is limited.
However, experience remains a powerful asset. Few drivers possess Hamilton’s technical feedback capabilities or his understanding of championship campaigns. If Ferrari can provide a stable platform, his racecraft and strategic awareness could once again be decisive factors.
MORE NEWS – Cadillac F1 Team reports being ‘swamped’ as questions over Perez emerge
NEXT ARTICLE – Japanese Report: Honda Executive Points Finger at Adrian Newey as Key Factor in Aston Martin’s Testing Struggles
Is Adrian Newey at the heart of Aston Martin’s testing turmoil? Fresh details have emerged from Japan about the troubled early development of Aston Martin’s 2026 challenger. This has prompted a sensitive question to surface in the paddock: could Adrian Newey himself be indirectly responsible for the team’s testing struggles?
Although nobody at Aston Martin is openly accusing their star designer, comments from Honda suggest that Newey’s late arrival and radical design changes may have triggered a chain reaction that compromised reliability.
A Radical Reset After March
According to Honda F1 project leader Satoshi Tsunoda, almost everything changed once Newey joined the Silverstone-based team in March 2025.
“The engine design itself was not changed,” Tsunoda explained in an interview with Japanese media, specifically as-web.jp.
“But everything else, including the peripherals and how they are attached to the car body, changed.”
In modern Formula 1, the integration between the chassis and the power unit is extremely sensitive. Cooling layouts, energy recovery systems and packaging constraints are all optimised around initial design assumptions. When these assumptions change late in the process, the consequences can be significant.
Newey’s arrival effectively meant a philosophical reset. For a team already deep into development, that reset came with risks…CONTINUE READING THIS STORY
Clara Marlowe is a Formula 1 writer at TJ13 with over 15 years of experience in motorsport journalism, having contributed features to established sports magazines such as Evo, MCN, Wisden Cricket Monthly and other digital outlets.
Clara specialises in human-interest storytelling, focusing on the individuals behind the sport, including drivers, engineers, and team personnel whose roles are often overlooked in mainstream coverage.
At TJ13, Clara contributes long-form features and narrative-driven pieces that explore the personal and professional journeys within Formula 1. This includes coverage of career-defining moments, internal team dynamics, and the human impact of high-pressure competition.
Clara’s work brings depth and perspective to the sport, complementing news and analysis with stories that highlight the people behind the machinery.
Clara has a particular interest in how personal narratives intersect with performance, and how individual experiences shape outcomes across a Formula 1 season.
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
