Juan Pablo Montoya spots a new side of Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari unseen in 2025. Lewis Hamilton showed a new level of pace and confidence at the 2026 Australian GP.

Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya was full of admiration for Lewis Hamilton after the opening round of the 2026 season at the Australian Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion showcased a renewed level of competitiveness, making him the standout Ferrari driver behind the podium finishers.

Although Ferrari appeared to be the fourth-fastest team in qualifying, with Lewis Hamilton outpaced by both Mercedes drivers, his teammate Charles Leclerc, and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, the race told a very different story. By the end of the first chicane, both Ferrari drivers had surged to the front, with Hamilton and Leclerc positioning themselves among the leading pack and challenging Mercedes’ George Russell.

Hamilton’s communication over the team radio was noticeably more confident and precise than in previous seasons. While Juan Pablo Montoya expressed frustration with Ferrari’s pit wall strategy, particularly under the first virtual safety car, he reserved special praise for the British driver’s performance and composure throughout the race.

Juan Pablo Montoya highlights Lewis Hamilton’s renewed pace and confidence at Ferrari

Speaking on F1’s official post-race broadcast, Montoya addressed Ferrari’s tactical shortcomings before turning his attention to the drivers’ performances. He reflected on how Ferrari’s decision-making under the virtual safety car mirrored the mistakes that plagued them in the previous season.

Montoya explained that despite Ferrari not fully optimising their strategy, the car’s pace and Hamilton’s execution made a huge difference. He noted that the seve-time Formula 1 world champion, who emerged from the pits seven seconds behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, managed to finish within a single second of him—a level of performance Montoya emphasized he had never seen from Hamilton in 2025.

“Look at the pace against Charles,” Montoya said. “Of course, he’s going to be happy! He came out of the pits seven seconds behind and finished within a second of him. When have we seen Lewis last year do that? Never. Charles had the upper hand all season long, and now the Briton is comfortable in the car, pushing it, and starting to get results.”

Ferrari still have room to improve despite strong Australian Grand Prix showing

While it is too early to draw definitive conclusions about the 2026 Formula 1 hierarchy, Ferrari’s starts and race pace in Melbourne demonstrate a marked improvement over last year. Lewis Hamilton keeping pace with Charles Leclerc gives team principal Frédéric Vasseur and his strategists more flexibility than they had in 2025, when the two drivers were often separated by several positions.

Race strategy remains an area where Ferrari can gain significant ground, but Hamilton’s performance suggests that he is now able to compete directly with the Monegasque for both qualifying and race pace. The strong showing in Melbourne signals that Hamilton’s wait for his first podium with Ferrari may soon come to an end.

With the Chinese Grand Prix approaching, Hamilton and Ferrari have the opportunity to build on the momentum from Australia. The signs indicate that the seven-time world champion will not have to wait long to reclaim a place on the Formula 1 podium, showcasing both his talent and the potential of the SF-26 for the 2026 season.