Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari journey is increasingly drawing comparisons with a frustrating chapter from the Scuderia’s recent Formula 1 history — one that once compromised Sebastian Vettel’s championship ambitions.
When Lewis Hamilton made the blockbuster switch from Mercedes to Ferrari, the expectation was that the seven-time Formula 1 world champion could become the figure to finally end Ferrari’s prolonged title drought. After the heartbreak of narrowly missing an unprecedented eighth crown in 2021, the move to Maranello was framed as a fresh opportunity for one final championship charge.
Yet Ferrari’s long-standing development inconsistencies may once again be emerging as the team’s greatest weakness.
Ferrari’s recurring Formula 1 development problem
Former driver and F1 analyst Davide Valsecchi has raised concerns over Ferrari’s historical inability to maintain competitive momentum across a full Formula 1 season, suggesting that the team’s development trajectory should leave fans cautious rather than optimistic.
According to Valsecchi’s assessment, Ferrari’s recent history shows a worrying pattern: strong early promise followed by rivals making bigger gains as the championship progresses. In his view, while Ferrari can occasionally begin a season competitively, the team has too often failed to sustain that level once the development race intensifies.
That concern carries particular significance for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in 2026, as both Ferrari drivers have shown flashes of competitiveness but still lack the consistency required to seriously challenge at the front every weekend.
Valsecchi suggested that if recent trends are any guide, Ferrari remains an outsider rather than a genuine title favourite, because McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull have repeatedly demonstrated superior in-season development.
He also pointed to the extraordinary development leap made by McLaren in recent seasons as the type of transformation Ferrari has struggled to replicate.
Why Sebastian Vettel comparisons are resurfacing
The parallels with Sebastian Vettel are difficult to ignore.
During Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari years, particularly in 2017 and 2018, the Scuderia frequently began the campaign with championship optimism. In 2017, Sebastian Vettel won three of the opening six Grands Prix and looked like a genuine threat to Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes title defence. In 2018, the German again started strongly, winning in Australia and Bahrain while appearing to have the machinery to mount a sustained challenge.
But in both seasons, Ferrari gradually lost momentum as rivals developed more effectively. Upgrade packages failed to consistently deliver the intended gains, strategic errors crept in, and the championship battle slipped away.
By the closing stages of 2018, Sebastian Vettel had failed to win any of the final eight races, while Lewis Hamilton surged toward another world title. For many Ferrari supporters, that collapse remains one of the clearest examples of the team’s inability to convert early promise into championship success.
What this means for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc
The concern now is whether Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are encountering the same structural limitation.
Ferrari’s early-season competitiveness in 2026 offered encouragement, but Miami served as a reminder that the Scuderia remains vulnerable when rival teams unlock major performance gains. McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull all appeared to expose Ferrari’s limitations in outright pace and development direction.
The upcoming upgrade packages will therefore be crucial. Ferrari cannot afford another season in which optimism fades by mid-year while competitors make bigger technical breakthroughs.
For Lewis Hamilton, the stakes are particularly high. At this stage of his career, opportunities to fight for another Formula 1 world championship are naturally becoming more limited. For Charles Leclerc, the pressure is equally intense, as the Monegasque continues searching for the first title challenge his talent arguably deserves.
If Ferrari finally solves its development consistency problem, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc could remain firmly in the championship conversation. If not, Formula 1 fans may be watching a familiar Ferrari story unfold all over again.
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