Jose Mourinho Draws F1 Parallel to Benfica's Slump

Renowned football manager Jose Mourinho has invoked Lewis Hamilton's recent F1 struggles to contextualize his own challenge at Portuguese giants Benfica. Mourinho compared the club's recent title drought to Hamilton's last two seasons, reminding fans of their shared history of unparalleled success in their respective sports.

Why it matters:

The comment underscores the global narrative surrounding Hamilton's career, highlighting how his recent performance dip has transcended the F1 paddock. It frames his upcoming 2026 season with Ferrari not just as a driver's challenge, but as a major sports story with high expectations for a comeback.

The details:

• Mourinho, now in charge of Benfica—a club with a record 38 Portuguese league titles but only one in the last six years—used Hamilton as an analogy. He stated, "Lewis Hamilton lagged behind in the last two F1 seasons, but he won seven or eight championships."
• Hamilton's 2025 season with Ferrari was his most difficult, marking the first time in his illustrious career that he failed to secure a single Grand Prix podium.
• However, a former Michael Schumacher engineer, Luigi Mazzola, recently defended Hamilton, arguing that Ferrari was primarily to blame for the poor results. Mazzola suggested the team failed to provide the consistency and technical support needed for Hamilton to adapt and perform.

Looking ahead:

With the 2025 season concluded, the focus shifts to whether Hamilton can reverse his fortunes at Ferrari in 2026. The upcoming regulation reset presents a fresh start for both the seven-time champion and the Scuderia, offering a chance to silence the critics and prove that the recent slump was an anomaly, not a new norm.