Riccardo Patrese believes Lewis Hamilton still has two years left to chase his eighth F1 world title. Riccardo Patrese believes Lewis Hamilton still has two more years to fight for his record-breaking eighth F1 world title.

The former Formula 1 driver hopes that the British champion can return to the top with Ferrari.

In 2027 the British driver will be 42 years old

Following the Singapore Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has equalled Didier Pironi in one of Ferrari’s less flattering statistics: eighteen races without a podium finish as a Scuderia driver. Despite joining Ferrari with high expectations, the seven-time world champion is still waiting for his first top-three finish in red.

Hamilton has managed to secure a Sprint pole in China and went on to win the Sprint race in Shanghai. Apart from another strong performance during the Miami Sprint — where he finished third — he has not gone beyond three fourth-place finishes in Grands Prix, recorded at Imola, Austria, and Silverstone.

Patrese believes Hamilton can still aim for the record

According to Riccardo Patrese, Lewis Hamilton still realistically has two years left to pursue what would be his record-breaking eighth Formula 1 world championship title. “Lewis can do whatever he wants,” Riccardo Patrese told Escapist Magazine. “But I think he wants to end his career with strong results and possibly that eighth title. Next year, with the new regulations and a new car, he will have a chance to play his cards. After that, I believe he will give himself one more year — then maybe he’ll say goodbye.”

Riccardo Patrese added that, in Hamilton’s position, he would keep pushing until the very end: “If I were him, I would fight until the last moment to get back to the best possible results. I also hope that with his huge experience, he can give valuable advice on how to organize the team better from the inside.”

The Italian veteran, who never raced for Ferrari himself but remains emotionally connected to the team, expressed his personal hopes for the future of the Scuderia: “I really hope so because I’m Italian and I have a son racing with Ferrari, so I feel a strong connection to the team. I was never a Ferrari driver, but I’ve always been a bit of a Ferrari fan, so I truly hope they find the right solution.”