Former Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill has shared his perspective on what it will take for seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton to return to the top of the sport with Scuderia Ferrari. According to Hill, who won the 1996 Formula 1 World Championship, Hamilton made the right decision by leaving Mercedes-AMG Petronas and joining the Maranello-based team. “If he wanted to keep racing, then he absolutely made the right choice,” Hill told GQ magazine. However, the highly anticipated results that many fans and Ferrari insiders hoped for have not yet materialized. So far, both Ferrari and Hamilton have struggled to deliver the breakthrough performances that were expected when the news of their partnership first broke.
Hill believes that Lewis Hamilton is still capable of performing at his highest level, but only if Ferrari commits to giving him the right machinery. “If they provide him with a truly competitive car, we’ll see the old Lewis return—at least for a while,” Hill stated. Nonetheless, he issued a warning: “When you get older, it becomes harder to drive underperforming cars. If Lewis senses a chance to win, he gets fired up. But just driving around with no fight is exhausting.” For Hill, the quality of the car is the key to unlocking Hamilton’s potential and reigniting his championship ambitions.
At 40 years of age, Lewis Hamilton is currently the second-oldest driver on the Formula 1 grid, behind only Fernando Alonso, who is now 43. Hill took a moment to praise the Spanish veteran: “Alonso impresses me. He keeps delivering results even when he doesn’t have to.” However, Hill also made a subtle distinction between the two champions. “I’m not entirely sure Lewis feels like anything is missing from his career. He has won everything. Even though he’s still chasing that elusive eighth world title, he can already be satisfied with what he’s achieved.”
Ferrari preparing for 2026, Hamilton already involved
Looking ahead, Hamilton has already turned his focus toward the 2026 Formula 1 season, when the sport will enter a brand-new era with an entirely new set of technical regulations. While early reports suggest that Mercedes could have the most powerful engine under the upcoming rules, both Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton are committed to building something special together.
Following the 2025 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Hamilton reportedly offered Ferrari’s engineers crucial feedback regarding the development direction of future cars. According to the Italian press, it will be essential for the Maranello squad to carefully listen to Hamilton’s insights if they are to re-establish themselves as a truly competitive force in Formula 1.
The current Ferrari challenger, the SF-25, has proven to be difficult to manage in various conditions. At Silverstone, Hamilton described the car as “the most difficult I’ve driven in the wet.” He also narrowly avoided running out of fuel during qualifying, a problem that could have compromised his session but was ultimately resolved in time. Despite these challenges, Hamilton delivered a strong performance, which showed he still possesses the hunger and drive to fight at the front. Unfortunately, the limitations of the current car are significantly hindering his ability to convert that motivation into top results.
Additionally, Ferrari has publicly denied any rumors about a potential departure of Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur. Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna, who was present in the Silverstone paddock, affirmed the team’s cohesion by stating, “The team is united.”
In recent races, Lewis Hamilton has shown flashes of form. He secured two consecutive fourth-place finishes—at the Austrian Grand Prix and at Silverstone—and also claimed victory in the Sprint Race at the Chinese Grand Prix earlier in the season. These are encouraging signs, but they are not yet enough to call the partnership a success.
The potential is clearly there, but in order to convert it into genuine race victories, Ferrari must find a way to close the current performance gap to rivals like McLaren. Only then can Hamilton truly fight at the front and possibly make history with a record-breaking eighth world championship.
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