From 'useless' to title contender: Hamilton's Ferrari turnaround

Last summer, Lewis Hamilton called himself "useless" after a string of early qualifying disasters at Ferrari. One year later, the seven-time champion has claimed his first win in red and sits second in the 2026 standings, completing a remarkable turnaround.

Why it matters:

Hamilton's resurgence has reshaped the title fight. He trails Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli by just 41 points, and Toto Wolff has warned that Hamilton becomes unstoppable once he finds his rhythm. The recovery validates Ferrari's recruitment and underlines how critical driver-team chemistry is in Formula 1.

The details:

• Rock bottom: In 2025, Hamilton was eliminated in Q1 at Spa and missed Q3 in Hungary while teammate Charles Leclerc took pole. He openly questioned his own performance, suggesting Ferrari should change drivers.
• Vasseur's view: Team principal Frederic Vasseur cited resilience and factory involvement. He noted Hamilton kept pushing at Maranello even while struggling to build early team relationships.
• Wolff's warning: The Mercedes boss admitted he does not want to fight Hamilton for the title. "If he smells blood, he goes," Wolff said, referencing the "Lewis Hamilton train" that is impossible to stop.
• Leclerc's situation: While Hamilton has found consistency, Leclerc has endured recent setbacks. Vasseur remains optimistic, noting the Monegasque fought for pole before a crash and suffered from poor safety-car timing.

What's next:

Hamilton's maiden Ferrari win has injected real momentum into his campaign. The coming races will test whether he can close the gap to Antonelli and keep the Mercedes drivers under pressure. Ferrari must now balance both drivers' fortunes to mount a credible championship challenge.