How Ferrari Can Win With Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton’s 2026 title bid took a massive step forward when the Englishman claimed two second places and a win the the last three F1 races. The 41-year-old is now just 41 points off log leader, Kimi Antonelli. Hamilton give the Scuderia hope, as they have had so many times before, but can the Brit claim a record-breaking eighth world driver’s title?

There are several factors at play. Not least of all the dominance shown by Hamilton’s former team, Mercedes. The Silver cars dominated the opening rounds, with wins for both its drivers. That in itself was developing into a good storyline: George Russell against his teen teammate Kimi Antonelli. But, Mr Still I Rise Hamilton had other plans. His never-give-up attitude has suddenly brought the red team back into play. But does a world title beckon for him and the Scuderia?

Ferrari has rebuilt enough to be taken seriously

That is a taller order than it sounds, but it is not fantasy. Ferrari has spent the last few seasons becoming a more credible racing team under Fred Vasseur. They show better discipline, faster pit work, and a car that has been kinder to its tyres than the old red machines thanks to some heat-managing trickery in its rim design. Add Lewis Hamilton’s own form, which still carries the edge of a driver who is as sharp as the youngest on the grid, and the picture stops looking romantic and starts looking dangerous for the rest of the grid.

Ferrari’s recent uptick is the real foundation of this story. The team that threw away opportunities in previous years is not the same outfit now. The SF-26 has shown better long-run pace, less tyre fall-off, and a more stable race rhythm than its predecessors, as witnessed in Canada and Spain. A championship campaign is usually won by the team that wastes the fewest good Sundays. Ferrari has been streadily moving in that direction.

Ferrari and Hamilton went winless in 2025, which is unfamiliar territory for both. But that was period of rebuilding, seeing off the older rules and welcoming the new-gen racecar. The team also looks more cohesive in the places that used to cost it dearly, with strategy calls less chaotic and pit stops operating at the sharp end of the field. In a season where Mercedes looked to be the class of the field, that kind of polish could be enough to turn a hopeful into a challenger.

Click here to read about other F1 title hopefuls who found the allure of racing in red too hard to resist.

Main Challengers

While Ferrari has been steady, Mercedes has faltered. The German team looked unbeatable early in 2026 but multiple mechanical issues cost both its drivers valuable points. It is a fact not lost on team principal, Toto Wolff. “Others have gained ground quickly and we need to respond,” said the Austrian. “We are in a fight for both championships but must improve if we want to come out on top come the end of the season. Our Achilles heel so far has been reliability.”

Defending champions McLaren and former frontrunners, Red Bull Racing, have both suffered a lacklustre start to 2026. While the teams’ leading drivers, reigning champ Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, have featured well in qualifying and appeared on the podium, they are both on the back foot as the season nears the one-third mark.

The tracks that could tilt the balance

If Ferrari and Hamilton are going to make a serious run at the title, they will need certain circuits to fall their way. Silverstone, Suzuka and Spa should all be on the watch list. They reward aerodynamic stability, high-speed confidence and the ability to keep the tyres alive while pushing hard. Hamilton has always had the feel for that kind of track, and Ferrari’s recent strengths suggest the overall package should deliver in these situations.

Baku, Singapore and Las Vegas also matter. These are places where precision, traction and braking control can matter more than brute force. Hamilton has a deft touch when it comes to threading cars through tight, awkward street circuits when some look like they are wrestling supermarket trolleys. If the Ferrari is close enough to Mercedes on these weekends, then Hamilton’s experience becomes the deciding factor. Monza would be the obvious emotional one. A Ferrari win there is always a statement. A Hamilton win there, in red, would be a proper problem for everyone else, and pure euphoria for the Tifosi.

Carlo Santi could be the quiet difference

Hamilton seems to have struggled with comms from the pitwall during his debut season at Ferrari. At Mercedes he enjoyed a decade-long relationship with Pete ‘Bono’ Bonnington that seemed to be more ‘bromance’ than business. His first season at Ferrari was fraught with cold instruction. However, Carlo Santi’s arrival as his race engineer could become one of the more important details of the 2026 season, even if it will barely register with casual fans.

Santi’s job is not glamorous. He is the voice in Hamilton’s ear, the person translating data into vital info that is fed to the pilot, so he can trust the car on the limit and the team in the garage. Thus far he has fed Hamilton clean information on tyres, fuel, rivals, and pit windows. Lewis openly praised the new voice in his ear. That link will be vital once the pressure spikes and decisions have to be made in split seconds, not in debriefs.

Hamilton has always been at his best when the car and the engineer are speaking the same language. Ferrari’s engineering culture is different from what he knew at Mercedes, but if Santi and Hamilton can gel ever further, the Hamilton/Santi/SF-26 combo becomes a much more serious contender.

Ferrari may have to pick a side

The awkward part is, of course, Hamilton’s teammate, Charles Leclerc. Ferrari’s line-up would be among the strongest in the paddock on paper, but title fights do not care about paper. Leclerc has stated, unequivocally, that it is his goal to win the sports ultimate prize with Ferrari. He has re-signed a multi-year deal to continue racing in red. But if Hamilton is the one in the better position deep into the season, Ferrari will eventually have to decide whether it wants harmony or glory.

Team orders become plausible if Hamilton is the only Ferrari driver still in reach of the drivers’ title, especially if he leads Leclerc by a large margin as the season enters its final phase. Remember, this is the same team that has strongly enforced team orders in the past. The same logic applies in the constructors’ fight. If one driver is mathematically and strategically better placed to bring home the bigger points haul, Ferrari cannot afford to split its own chances out of sentiment.

Been Here Before

That is where Hamilton’s stature matters. He is not just another signing. He is a seven-time world champion who understands how title campaigns are managed when the margins tighten. Ferrari brought him in to score points, yes, but also to turn the team’s improving structure into an actual championship threat. If that means asking Leclerc to step aside on a decisive Sunday, they will not like the conversation, but they may well have to have it.

At any rate, we are staring down the barrel of an intriguing season that is probably going to be a rollercoaster ride for fans, whether regardless of what colour you are wearing.