Lewis Hamilton’s dramatic improvement with Ferrari in 2026 has been accompanied by an equally important change away from the stopwatch, according to his younger brother Nicolas Hamilton. After watching the seven-time Formula 1 world champion endure several difficult seasons and a troubled first year at Maranello, Nicolas believes Lewis Hamilton now appears happier, more settled and much more secure in his life.
The transformation has coincided with a major sporting revival. Five years after Lewis Hamilton came within a lap of securing a record eighth world championship in 2021, the British driver is again performing close to the level expected of one of Formula 1’s most successful competitors. He has already exceeded his entire 2025 points total, claimed his first Grand Prix victory for Ferrari in Barcelona and collected five podium finishes during the 2026 campaign.
Nicolas Hamilton sees a happier Lewis Hamilton in 2026
Speaking on the Gypsy Tales podcast in July, Nicolas Hamilton reflected on the difference he has observed in his brother after a prolonged period in which results and confidence appeared to suffer. For Nicolas, Lewis Hamilton’s fluctuating form demonstrates how powerful a driver’s state of mind can be, irrespective of achievements, wealth or previous success.
He explained that many people could see Lewis Hamilton struggling during the previous three seasons and felt the seven-time champion had been performing well below his true potential. Nicolas argued that his brother’s experience showed that even someone with seven world titles can be affected profoundly by how they feel about themselves, with mental wellbeing ultimately influencing performance.
That perspective gives another dimension to the scale of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari turnaround. The improvement has not simply involved a better championship position. According to the person who has watched his career from particularly close range, the change is also visible in his general demeanour.
Lewis Hamilton endured his toughest F1 period after 2021
The path back towards the front has been long. After the extraordinary conclusion to the 2021 championship, Lewis Hamilton entered what became the most difficult sustained period of his Formula 1 career. The 2022 season was the first of his career without a Grand Prix victory, and another winless campaign followed in 2023.
Hamilton finally ended that drought in 2024, but the championship still provided another sign of how far his results had fallen from the standards established during his title-winning years. For the first time, he finished outside the top six in the Drivers’ Championship.
His highly anticipated move to Ferrari in 2025 was supposed to provide a fresh beginning, but the first season in red instead became another major setback. Lewis Hamilton himself characterised the campaign as a nightmare, while failing to score a single Grand Prix podium throughout the year.
The contrast with 2026 is substantial. His breakthrough victory at Barcelona became his first Grand Prix win for the Maranello team, while his podium tally and points total have already moved beyond what he achieved throughout the previous campaign. That resurgence has returned Hamilton to championship contention and made his first Ferrari victory in Barcelona one of the defining moments of his season.
Hamilton reverses huge deficit to Charles Leclerc
The comparison with Charles Leclerc illustrates the scale of the turnaround particularly clearly. Lewis Hamilton ended the 2025 season 86 points behind his Ferrari team-mate. This year, however, he holds a 31-point advantage over the Monegasque driver.
That represents a 117-point swing between the two Ferrari drivers and has put Hamilton second in the championship. His results have also come despite several opportunities slipping away during the opening portion of the campaign, with penalties, incidents and strategic setbacks contributing to the points lost from his 2026 title challenge.
Nicolas Hamilton believes the recovery offers an important reminder of how quickly perceptions can change in Formula 1. He described motorsport as brutally comparative, with drivers constantly being judged against their team-mates, rivals and previous performances. When Lewis Hamilton struggled, those difficulties were particularly visible because of his tendency to show openly how he was feeling rather than disguising frustration.
Nicolas Hamilton found Lewis Hamilton’s struggles difficult to watch
From a family perspective, that period was painful. Nicolas admitted that watching his brother struggle had been extremely difficult, particularly as criticism intensified and some observers began arguing that Lewis Hamilton should retire or was no longer capable of competing at the highest level.
Nicolas viewed those reactions as another example of how negativity can affect anybody, regardless of how successful that person has previously been. He felt his brother had to dig deeply to continue rather than walk away during a period when confidence and results were moving in the wrong direction.
For Nicolas, the fact that Lewis Hamilton persisted is significant. His assessment was that poor mental wellbeing can translate directly into poorer performance, while feeling comfortable and positive can make everything around a person seem easier to manage.
Lewis Hamilton now appears more settled away from Formula 1
The most noticeable difference for Nicolas Hamilton is therefore not simply a race victory or a championship statistic. He believes his brother looks better in his personal life, happier as a man and more settled than during his recent difficult period.
Lewis Hamilton is believed to be in a relationship with US media personality Kim Kardashian. Nicolas acknowledged that this could potentially be part of the change he has noticed, although he made clear that he did not know and had not yet met Kim Kardashian.
More broadly, Nicolas emphasised the value of being surrounded by people who have a positive effect. In his view, spending time with people who make someone feel good can make other aspects of life feel lighter as well.
That personal change has arrived while Hamilton’s results have simultaneously improved. The Briton finds himself second in the Drivers’ Championship, although Mercedes remains extremely fast and difficult to beat. Ferrari’s own progress has also been significant, even though Frédéric Vasseur has stressed that the team’s improvement is still not enough as Maranello continues its pursuit of Mercedes.
Championship position matters less to Nicolas Hamilton than his brother’s happiness
For Nicolas Hamilton, however, the championship table is secondary to what he sees away from the circuit. Whether Lewis Hamilton is running second in the standings or at the opposite end of the field is not his primary concern as a brother.
What matters more is that Lewis Hamilton is happy and once again enjoying motorsport, something Nicolas knows was not the case during the more difficult period of his career. That makes the 2026 resurgence important for reasons that go beyond points, podiums and Ferrari’s championship ambitions.
Lewis Hamilton still faces the considerable challenge of overcoming Mercedes if he is to convert his revival into another title fight. Yet after years in which his form, confidence and future were repeatedly questioned, the biggest change noticed inside his own family is simpler: Nicolas Hamilton sees a person who appears happier, more settled and once again able to enjoy the sport around which so much of his life has been built.
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