Lewis Hamilton remains a crucial asset for Ferrari despite being 41 and enduring a Maranello journey that has not been without difficulties. Former Formula 1 team principal Giancarlo Minardi believes the seven-time world champion still has an important role to play in Ferrari’s project, particularly because his experience can contribute to areas extending far beyond his results on a Sunday.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with NewsF1, Giancarlo Minardi explained that Lewis Hamilton’s knowledge could accelerate the development of Ferrari’s entire organisation. His assessment comes during a 2026 season in which the Scuderia has returned to winning races after the difficulties it experienced during the previous campaign.
Why Lewis Hamilton remains important to Ferrari
For Giancarlo Minardi, the British driver’s value should not be measured solely by outright speed or race results. Ferrari is still evolving as an organisation, and Lewis Hamilton can provide experience gathered during one of the most successful periods in Formula 1 history.
“I think today’s Hamilton is very useful to the team, which still needs to make further steps in terms of organisational development.”
In Giancarlo Minardi’s view, Ferrari is going through a period of growth that requires people capable of bringing methodology, experience and a winning mentality to Maranello. That makes Lewis Hamilton’s contribution relevant not only to the development of the SF-26 but also to the wider structure surrounding the car.
Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes experience could make the difference
Lewis Hamilton arrived at Ferrari after experiencing one of Formula 1’s most successful eras with Mercedes. Giancarlo Minardi believes that background is among the seven-time world champion’s greatest assets and that Ferrari can benefit by listening closely to his assessment of how a successful organisation operates.
“Someone who experienced eight world championships at Mercedes can bring those assessments and, if Ferrari listens to him, he can accelerate the development of the team, not only the car but the whole organisation.”
The reference to eight championships encompasses Lewis Hamilton’s years inside the Mercedes organisation during its dominant period. That experience gives him first-hand knowledge of the processes and working methods used within a team that spent years at the top of Formula 1.
For additional context on the organisation Lewis Hamilton spent more than a decade racing for before moving to Maranello, GP-News provides continuing coverage of Mercedes and its Formula 1 development.
Hamilton’s contribution goes beyond the track
Lewis Hamilton has shown signs of improvement during the 2026 season, including taking a victory that underlined both Ferrari’s progress and his adaptation to the SF-26. The British driver has also repeatedly highlighted how the work carried out with Ferrari’s engineers is beginning to produce results and how the team has finally started moving in the right direction.
For Giancarlo Minardi, however, Lewis Hamilton’s most important added value may be the part that is much less visible from the outside. Understanding the internal processes of an organisation that dominated Formula 1 for years could help Ferrari shorten the time required for its own rebuilding process.
That wider development remains particularly significant because work on the current car does not necessarily exist in isolation. Ferrari believes that continued SF-26 development can also benefit its 2027 Formula 1 project, increasing the potential value of knowledge that can be carried forward from one programme to the next.
Giancarlo Minardi: Ferrari should keep listening to Lewis Hamilton
Although Giancarlo Minardi has traditionally been a strong advocate for giving opportunities to young drivers, he does not believe Ferrari has yet reached the point where it should give up the contribution Lewis Hamilton can provide.
“I have always been someone who backs young drivers, but I would wait a little longer, because Hamilton’s contribution can accelerate the team’s development.”
His message is therefore clear: before focusing on what comes next for Ferrari’s driver line-up, the Scuderia should make full use of Lewis Hamilton’s experience and everything he learned during his long spell with Mercedes.
The seven-time world champion’s position can also be viewed within Ferrari’s broader driver dynamic alongside Charles Leclerc. Their performances across the season can be followed through the Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton season comparison, covering the evolving head-to-head between Ferrari’s two drivers.
Lewis Hamilton remains an asset for Maranello
Giancarlo Minardi’s comments offer a different perspective from assessments of Lewis Hamilton based exclusively on what happens on the track. For the former Formula 1 team principal, the seven-time world champion can act as an accelerator for Ferrari’s growth by transferring knowledge, working methods and the culture developed during years of competing inside a championship-winning organisation.
That contribution could prove valuable not only to Ferrari’s immediate development but also to its longer-term objective of establishing itself consistently at the front of Formula 1. At 41, Lewis Hamilton may be closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but Giancarlo Minardi believes Ferrari still has plenty to gain from the experience he brings to Maranello.
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