Lewis Hamilton’s difficult first Ferrari season offers an important reference point for George Russell as the Mercedes driver battles through his own challenging period in 2026, according to former Formula 1 driver Thierry Boutsen. The Belgian believes problems with confidence and car performance can combine to make even an elite driver’s situation appear considerably worse than it really is.
Hamilton has provided a striking example this season. After frequently struggling during his maiden Ferrari campaign in 2025, the seven-time world champion has responded with a Grand Prix victory in Spain and several podium finishes, reaching the Formula 1 summer break second in the Drivers’ Championship. Russell, meanwhile, has experienced difficulties of his own that have complicated his pursuit of a maiden world title.
Thierry Boutsen sees similarities between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell
Thierry Boutsen believes the two situations share important characteristics. Reflecting on Hamilton’s 2025 campaign, the former Formula 1 driver argued that the Briton’s underlying quality had never disappeared despite a season in which results and confidence were repeatedly tested.
Boutsen explained that Hamilton had spent most of his career competing at the very top before suffering through a much more difficult period last year. In his assessment, a loss of self-confidence combined with a car that was not performing as required, along with several smaller complications, created a situation that looked particularly poor from the outside.
The important point for Boutsen is what happened afterwards. Once Ferrari improved and Hamilton found himself in a more favourable competitive situation, the British driver was able to take advantage. His victory in Barcelona became the clearest demonstration of that turnaround and helped establish the stronger form that has taken him into the championship’s summer pause in second place.
Hamilton’s recovery has come during a season in which Ferrari has still acknowledged that further progress is required. Fred Vasseur’s mid-season assessment of Ferrari’s 2026 campaign reflected the team’s determination not to become satisfied despite its improved competitiveness.
Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 Ferrari struggles did not define his level
The comparison matters because Hamilton’s 2025 problems had raised significant questions during what was supposed to be a major new chapter of his career. Moving to Maranello brought a different environment, a different car and a demanding adaptation process, and his first season regularly produced difficulties rather than the sustained results expected from a seven-time world champion.
Boutsen’s interpretation is that those problems should not have been viewed as evidence that Hamilton had suddenly lost the ability that had defined his Formula 1 career. Instead, the combination of confidence, machinery and numerous smaller details amplified the difficulties he was experiencing.
The 2026 campaign has painted a very different picture. Hamilton’s Spanish Grand Prix win and run of podium appearances have restored him to the front of the championship battle, even though his season has not been without setbacks. The points he has lost at different stages have also become important in assessing Hamilton’s position in Ferrari’s 2026 title challenge.
That rebound is central to Boutsen’s comparison with Russell. A difficult period, in his view, does not necessarily represent a driver’s new permanent level. Circumstances can change, confidence can return and a car can become more competitive, allowing the underlying ability to become visible again.
George Russell urged to learn from difficult Mercedes period
George Russell now finds himself facing a different but, in Boutsen’s eyes, comparable challenge at Mercedes. Various problems during 2026 have placed greater doubt around his attempt to secure a first Formula 1 world championship, despite entering the year as one of the drivers capable of fighting at the front.
Boutsen nevertheless backed Russell to emerge stronger from the adversity. He recalled a lesson associated with three-time world champion Niki Lauda, who believed that winning teaches a driver relatively little compared with losing.
The Belgian explained that defeat forces a competitor to identify areas requiring improvement. Instead of simply continuing with what already works, a driver has to keep working, reassess the situation and understand why winning has become impossible at that particular moment.
That process extends beyond driving technique. Boutsen stressed the importance of examining personal performance, the problems affecting the car and any difficulties within the team itself. The relationship between driver and team must also be considered, making recovery a far more complex exercise than simply finding additional lap time.
Russell’s circumstances have consequently become an important part of the wider Mercedes championship story. The Briton’s position and long-term role have already generated debate, including questions about whether George Russell risks being placed in a difficult Mercedes role as the competitive picture evolves.
Boutsen believes adversity can make George Russell stronger
Boutsen’s broader argument is that setbacks can provide the information required for the next successful phase of a driver’s career. Once the underlying issues have been understood and resolved, he believes winning can return. No Formula 1 driver, regardless of reputation or previous success, can expect to remain at the front permanently because of the quality and number of competitors around them.
Hamilton’s recent trajectory gives that argument a contemporary example. Twelve months after enduring a difficult first year with Ferrari, he arrived at the 2026 summer break as the second-placed driver in the championship and a Grand Prix winner again. His return to stronger form has been one of the key elements behind the Scuderia’s improved season.
Ferrari still experienced frustration immediately before the break, with the Hungarian Grand Prix ending without a podium, but Hamilton’s overall improvement compared with 2025 remains clear. Boutsen’s assessment is therefore less about comparing the precise circumstances at Ferrari and Mercedes and more about the psychological and competitive pattern behind them.
For Russell, the challenge is now to use the difficult spell constructively rather than allow it to define his championship prospects or longer-term trajectory. Boutsen believes analysing the car, personal performance and relationship with the team is part of the process required to recover.
Hamilton has already demonstrated how dramatically the picture can change from one season to the next. After the struggles of 2025, his Barcelona victory and championship position in 2026 have provided the kind of response Boutsen believes Russell can also produce once Mercedes and its driver work through the problems currently holding them back.
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