Former Formula 1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi believes the new generation of 2026 cars has made it "harder to be fast," which is an unspoken factor behind Lewis Hamilton's resurgence with Ferrari. Hamilton has enjoyed a stellar season compared to his difficult first year in red, securing his first podium and Grand Prix victory with the team and sitting second in the drivers' championship at the summer break.
Hamilton's own explanations
Hamilton has attributed his improvement to having input into the 2026 car, which he says contains some of his "DNA," unlike the 2025 car he inherited from Mercedes. A staff reshuffle, including a new race engineer, has also contributed to his better performance.
Fittipaldi's perspective
Fittipaldi, however, points to the characteristics of the new cars themselves. He said: "One thing hardly anyone talks about much is the new car. It is smaller, and you have to make do with less downforce, and in my view that makes the job behind the wheel more difficult. It has become harder to be fast. That is why I think it brings out the talent more, and I think that is one of the reasons Lewis has been able to improve."
He added: "He has a good feel for the car and he is in control of it because he is an extremely talented driver. What's more, this is his second year with Ferrari, so he knows the engineers and he is now familiar with the system too. I was very happy when I saw just how fast Lewis and Ferrari are."
Fittipaldi's empathy
Fittipaldi, who experienced similar criticism later in his career, expressed delight at Hamilton's comeback. He said: "I can still remember last year very well. The same thing happened to me in the IndyCar Series and in Formula 1. As you get older, people say you cannot drive anymore and last year Lewis came in for criticism from all sides. But now he is fast again, and I think that is good for the sport and the fans. It is fantastic to see Ferrari and Lewis winning again."
Current standings
Hamilton is 50 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli after 11 rounds. He leads former team-mate George Russell by nine points and is 31 points ahead of Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, who endured a rough June with retirements in Monaco and Barcelona and a lowly eighth in Austria.
Key to Hamilton's season has been consistency and reliability. He is the only driver to complete every racing lap of 2026 and score points in every Grand Prix. He has not finished lower than sixth in any Sunday race and has five podiums, including his maiden Ferrari win in Barcelona.
