Lewis Hamilton is approaching the return of the Formula 1 season looking like a very different Ferrari driver from the one who endured such a difficult first campaign in red. Second in the Drivers’ Championship, 50 points behind Kimi Antonelli, the seven-time world champion has finished every race, collected five podiums and, most importantly, secured his first Grand Prix victory for Ferrari.
With the summer break almost over, this is traditionally the point of the season when the first substantial assessments are made of drivers, teams and the progress achieved over the opening part of the championship. Lewis Hamilton is once again receiving positive reviews. After Emerson Fittipaldi recently offered his assessment, former Formula 1 driver Thierry Boutsen has now focused on what appears to have changed most dramatically: confidence.
Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari results show the scale of his 2026 recovery
The comparison with 2025 is striking. Lewis Hamilton currently sits second in the championship, 50 points behind Kimi Antonelli, having completed all 11 races before the summer break. Five of those appearances have ended on the podium, including the first Ferrari Grand Prix victory of Lewis Hamilton’s career in Barcelona.
There was also a symbolic connection to Ferrari history. Thirty years earlier, Michael Schumacher had taken his first victory for the Scuderia at the same circuit. That Barcelona success in 1996 became the first of many for the German legend, and Ferrari supporters will naturally hope that Lewis Hamilton’s breakthrough at the venue can also prove to be the beginning of something bigger.
The victory has been an important element of a broader recovery that leaves Lewis Hamilton as Kimi Antonelli’s closest championship challenger heading into the second half of the year. Ferrari has not been without missed opportunities, however, with valuable points slipping away during the 2026 title fight.
Thierry Boutsen identifies confidence as the key Lewis Hamilton factor
Speaking to Formula 1, Thierry Boutsen looked back at Lewis Hamilton’s difficult 2025 season and compared some of those struggles with what George Russell is experiencing at Mercedes this year.
“Lewis is Lewis, and he deserves to be at the top,” Thierry Boutsen explained. “He has been at the top all his life, and then he suffered last year.”
The former Formula 1 driver believes several factors combined to make the situation appear particularly bleak during Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari season.
“Last year Lewis had the same problem as George: self-confidence, the car wasn’t working very well, and the sum of all those details made the situation look bad, really bad,” Thierry Boutsen added. “But Lewis is still Lewis. As soon as the car improves, he is there, and he won the race in Barcelona. I was very happy for him.”
Confidence is an especially delicate factor in Formula 1. When a driver does not completely trust the car, and that uncertainty begins to affect confidence in their own ability, the consequences can extend beyond pure driving technique. The physical and psychological relationship between driver and machine becomes more complicated, potentially making it harder to feel comfortable with both the car and the wider working environment.
That connection is essential when a driver is attempting to extract the final percentage of performance from a Formula 1 car. Trust in the machinery allows a driver to commit fully, while confidence in the working process makes it easier to understand setbacks, communicate effectively with engineers and continue developing the package.
Thierry Boutsen recalls Niki Lauda’s lesson about losing
Thierry Boutsen also moved beyond Lewis Hamilton’s immediate results and recalled a lesson associated with Niki Lauda, the three-time Formula 1 world champion who won two of his titles with Ferrari.
“Niki Lauda used to say that you never learn anything from victories,” Thierry Boutsen explained.
The Belgian former driver then expanded on that idea, arguing that defeat creates the need to examine every area that can be improved.
“You learn a lot when you lose, because there are so many things you have to improve, so you work, work and work to grow,” Thierry Boutsen continued. “Sometimes winning isn’t possible. That is when it is time to reflect on what happened, analyse yourself, the problems with the car, the problems with the team and the relationship with the team. It is something very complex. Once you get through all of that, you start winning again. You cannot win all the time: there are too many variables around you for that to be possible.”
The principle behind Niki Lauda’s thinking is straightforward: defeats can provide lessons, while sustained work creates the foundations required for eventual success. Victory does not simply arrive automatically. It has to be constructed progressively, race after race, through improvements to the driver, the car and the relationship between everyone involved.
Niki Lauda’s philosophy has particular meaning for Lewis Hamilton
That message carries additional significance for Lewis Hamilton because of the relationship the British driver shared with Niki Lauda during the Austrian’s final years. Niki Lauda was closely involved with Mercedes during the period in which the number 44 driver dominated Formula 1, making the philosophy of constant work and progressively building towards success especially relevant to Lewis Hamilton’s current Ferrari journey.
The same idea can be applied to his 2026 campaign. It remains impossible to know exactly how far along that journey Lewis Hamilton currently is, but the opening 11 races have already transformed the perception created by his first season with the Maranello team.
The contrast extends beyond results. Lewis Hamilton appears different in the way he drives, works with Ferrari, communicates with the media and discusses what is happening around him. Similar observations have emerged elsewhere during the season, with the change in Lewis Hamilton’s demeanour and comfort at Ferrari becoming increasingly noticeable as 2026 has progressed.
From the frustration of 2025 to a stronger relationship with Ferrari
During 2025, Lewis Hamilton frequently appeared disappointed and frustrated. He struggled to explain the course of his season and why the results and performances both he and Ferrari wanted were not arriving. At one particularly difficult point, the British driver even suggested Ferrari should change drivers and identified himself as the problem.
The picture is very different this year. Lewis Hamilton has rediscovered a connection with the car and established a stronger relationship with the people at Maranello, gradually building mutual trust. He has also been able to reassert his preferred working style and methodology, placing greater importance on his own sensations and perceptions behind the wheel.
His influence has extended to the development process as well. Lewis Hamilton has been able to contribute to the development of the Ferrari SF-26, while his communication around race weekends has become more composed. Whether the result is positive or negative, he appears better able to analyse and explain what has happened.
That progress does not mean every problem has disappeared. Ferrari itself has acknowledged that its position at the halfway stage remains below the level it ultimately wants to reach, as reflected in Frédéric Vasseur’s assessment of Ferrari’s first 11 races.
Lewis Hamilton’s renewed confidence faces its next test after the break
There is one further element to consider. In the final races before the summer break, Lewis Hamilton appeared to be driving with slightly less composure than he had shown earlier in the campaign. There were several mistakes as the first half of the season drew to a close, making the timing of the break potentially useful for the British driver.
A period away from competition offers the opportunity to disconnect before returning to the intense demands of the championship. The transition between 2025 and 2026 had already served a similar purpose, helping create the conditions for the changes visible during the opening half of this season.
Ultimately, the confidence highlighted by Thierry Boutsen appears to sit at the centre of Lewis Hamilton’s transformation. In 2025, the seven-time world champion struggled to establish the connection he wanted with Ferrari. In 2026, he seems to have rediscovered his working method, his balance and, crucially, the ability to build towards results progressively rather than searching for an immediate solution.
The first Ferrari victory has already arrived. What comes next will determine how far that rebuilt confidence, the improving relationship with Maranello and the continuing development of the SF-26 can carry Lewis Hamilton through the second half of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
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