Kimi Räikkönen sees growing momentum behind Ferrari’s push to return to the top
Nearly two decades after delivering Ferrari’s most recent Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, Kimi Räikkönen believes the Italian team may finally be showing signs of moving back in the right direction. The 2007 world champion has watched Ferrari endure years of near misses, management changes and missed opportunities since his departure, but he now sees developments that suggest a brighter future could be taking shape at Maranello.
As Ferrari continues its quest to end one of the longest title droughts in its illustrious Formula 1 history, the performances of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc during the 2026 season have offered renewed optimism. While neither driver currently leads the championship, Ferrari’s increased competitiveness compared to recent campaigns has not gone unnoticed by the team’s last world champion.
A long wait since Ferrari’s last championship triumph
Kimi Räikkönen remains the most recent Ferrari driver to capture the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, achieving the feat in dramatic fashion during the 2007 season. Since then, the Scuderia has come close on several occasions but has repeatedly fallen short despite fielding elite talent like Sebastian Vettel, Charles Leclerc and now Lewis Hamilton.
The Finnish driver enjoyed two separate spells with Ferrari, first between 2007 and 2009 and later from 2014 until the end of 2018. When Kimi Räikkönen left Maranello for the second time, he expected the team to quickly build another championship-winning project capable of continuing Ferrari’s legacy at the front of the grid.
That prediction ultimately proved optimistic. Ferrari remained competitive in certain periods but was unable to transform race-winning pace into a sustained title-winning campaign. The emergence of dominant rivals, changing technical regulations and occasional operational mistakes prevented the Scuderia from returning to championship glory.
Lewis Hamilton’s progress adds to Ferrari’s optimism
One of the most encouraging developments for Ferrari this season has been the steady improvement shown by Lewis Hamilton. After a challenging debut campaign in red during 2025, the seven-time world champion has looked increasingly comfortable with both the team and the SF-26 package.
Lewis Hamilton has already secured two podium finishes during the 2026 Formula 1 season, including an impressive runner-up finish at the Canadian Grand Prix. Those performances have helped silence some of the doubts that emerged during his difficult adaptation period and have reinforced the belief that Ferrari can consistently challenge at the front.
Equally important has been the contribution of Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver remains a central figure in Ferrari’s long-term plans and continues to deliver valuable points. Together, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have provided Ferrari with one of the strongest driver pairings on the current grid, allowing the team to regularly fight near the front of the field.
At this stage of the season, the Briton and the Monegasque occupy third and fourth positions respectively in the Drivers’ Championship standings. Although Mercedes currently holds the upper hand, Ferrari remains firmly in contention and continues to develop its car in an effort to reduce the gap.
Why Kimi Räikkönen believes Ferrari could be on the right path
Reflecting on Ferrari’s progress, Kimi Räikkönen admitted that he had hoped the team would have already produced another world champion by now. However, rather than focusing on past disappointments, the Finn appears encouraged by the trajectory Ferrari is currently following.
According to Kimi Räikkönen, the signs emerging from Maranello suggest that the foundations for future success are gradually being put in place. While he acknowledged that Ferrari has yet to match the championship achievements he delivered during his own career, he indicated that the team’s recent progress provides genuine reasons for optimism.
The former Ferrari driver reportedly explained that when he left the Scuderia at the end of 2018, he expected the team to find a successor capable of replicating his title-winning accomplishments relatively quickly. Although that objective has not yet been achieved, Kimi Räikkönen suggested that the current direction of the team appears far more encouraging than it has in several previous seasons.
His comments will resonate with Ferrari supporters who have spent years waiting for the team to return to the summit of Formula 1. With Lewis Hamilton continuing to improve, Charles Leclerc maintaining his status as one of the sport’s fastest drivers, and further upgrades expected throughout the season, Ferrari finally appears to have reasons to believe that another championship challenge may not be too far away.
Whether those encouraging signs translate into titles remains to be seen. However, when Ferrari’s last world champion begins to see genuine progress from afar, it is a signal that the Scuderia may finally be moving closer to ending one of Formula 1’s longest waits for championship success.
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