Jonas Leo
Former Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button has offered a detailed analysis of Lewis Hamilton’s dramatic return to form with Ferrari, asserting that the inherent characteristics of the latest generation of F1 machinery are a more significant factor than his assimilation into the Maranello squad. Button’s insights, shared during an appearance on the Sky Sports F1 Show, underline a nuanced perspective on the seven-time champion’s resurgence, which has seen him climb the podium consistently in the current season.
Lewis Hamilton’s highly anticipated move to Scuderia Ferrari at the start of the 2025 season followed a monumental 12-year tenure with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, a period during which he secured six of his seven world titles. The transition, however, was not without its initial challenges. Hamilton, aged 41, experienced a demanding first season with the Italian outfit, as both driver and team navigated the complexities of a new partnership and car philosophy. The 2025 campaign saw Hamilton grappling with adaptation, a stark contrast to his dominant years at Mercedes, leading to a period of readjustment within the Maranello environment.
The narrative, however, has shifted dramatically in the current 2026 season. Hamilton has emphatically bounced back, demonstrating a renewed vigour and competitive edge that has delighted Ferrari fans and the broader Formula 1 community. His return to the podium began with a notable third-place finish at the Chinese Grand Prix, marking his first top-three appearance as a Ferrari driver. This achievement was swiftly followed by two consecutive second-place finishes at the iconic Canadian Grand Prix and the challenging Monaco Grand Prix, showcasing a consistent upward trajectory in performance. The pinnacle of his recent success arrived at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, where Hamilton celebrated his maiden Grand Prix victory in Ferrari colours, a monumental milestone in his storied career and a significant boost for the Italian team.
While acknowledging the natural progression of a driver settling into new surroundings, Jenson Button contends that this aspect, though contributing, is secondary to a more fundamental shift in the machinery itself. "I’m sure over the winter they had time to sit down and discuss what worked for him, what doesn’t work for him," Button explained, referring to the crucial off-season period for driver-team communication and car development. This process of fine-tuning the car to a driver’s specific preferences is standard practice in Formula 1, and for a driver of Hamilton’s calibre, such discussions would undoubtedly be extensive and impactful.
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Button further elaborated on the intricate relationship between a driver and their race engineer, highlighting its importance in performance. "It’s the first year, you know, their relationship, the engineer relationship is always a really tricky one as well, especially when you’ve left someone like Bono [Peter Bonnington] at Mercedes. It’s such a close relationship. So, it does take a minute." Peter Bonnington, Hamilton’s long-standing race engineer at Mercedes, was an integral part of his championship-winning era, and forging a similar rapport with a new engineer at Ferrari would naturally require time and mutual understanding. This transition period, Button implies, would inevitably affect immediate performance.
However, Button firmly asserted his primary hypothesis regarding Hamilton’s resurgence. "It has to be part of it, but I still think the biggest part of it is just the car. The car suits his style more. It’s a Formula 1 car he’s used to driving in terms of feel. For me, that is way above settling into a team and making them listen." This statement underscores a critical element of Formula 1 performance: the symbiotic relationship between driver and machine. Hamilton’s driving style is widely recognised for its precision, smoothness, and reliance on a strong front-end grip, particularly in high-speed corners. When a car’s aerodynamic and mechanical characteristics align with these preferences, a driver can extract maximum performance.
Button’s argument gains further context when considering the recent history of Formula 1 regulations. The introduction of the ground-effect aerodynamics in 2022 fundamentally altered car design and handling. While these regulations were intended to promote closer racing, they also presented significant challenges for certain drivers and teams in adapting to the new aerodynamic philosophies. Mercedes, in particular, struggled with their W13 and W14 cars in the initial years of these regulations, with issues such as porpoising and an inconsistent balance proving difficult to overcome. During this period, Hamilton, despite his immense talent, often found himself battling with a car that did not naturally complement his driving style.
Button explicitly drew a comparison to Hamilton’s later years at Mercedes, noting, "He wasn’t there at Mercedes either the last four years. He’s not really been the Lewis that we remember, absolutely annihilating his team-mate in qualifying. George [Russell] had the better of him quite a lot of the time." This observation highlights that Hamilton’s struggles were not exclusive to his first year at Ferrari but had roots in the performance characteristics of the recent Mercedes cars. George Russell, his teammate at Mercedes from 2022 onwards, often demonstrated a strong ability to extract performance from the challenging W13 and W14, sometimes outpacing Hamilton in qualifying and race trim. This suggests that certain car characteristics inherently suited Russell’s driving style more readily than Hamilton’s during that specific regulatory period.
"So, I think it’s down more so to the style of cars. We’re back to a car that’s more natural now. It’s more of a normal Formula 1 car," Button concluded. The phrase "more natural" or "more of a normal Formula 1 car" suggests a return to handling characteristics that are more conventional or perhaps more akin to the high-downforce, stable platforms that Hamilton mastered during his championship-winning years. This could imply a Ferrari chassis that offers greater stability through corners, a more predictable front-end, or a wider operating window that allows Hamilton to push the limits with confidence. Ferrari’s technical team, under the leadership of Team Principal Fred Vasseur and Technical Director Enrico Cardile, would have undoubtedly focused on car development over the winter, potentially honing the SF-26 (hypothetical model name for 2026) to better suit the nuanced demands of their lead driver.
Hamilton’s resurgence has significant implications for the remainder of the 2026 Formula 1 season. His consistent podium finishes and a maiden victory not only bolster his personal championship aspirations but also inject renewed vigour into Ferrari’s title challenge. The Scuderia, a team steeped in racing history, has long yearned for a return to championship glory, and Hamilton’s current form, coupled with the improved performance of the car, positions them as a formidable contender. Upcoming fixtures will test the consistency of both Hamilton and the Ferrari package, particularly against strong rivals. The sustained performance demonstrated by Hamilton, as interpreted by Button, suggests a potent combination of driver skill finding its ideal mechanical counterpart, promising an exciting and competitive season ahead.
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Author Profile
- Jonas Leo is a passionate motorsport journalist and lifelong Formula 1 enthusiast. With a sharp eye for race strategy and driver performance, he brings readers closer to the world of Grand Prix racing through in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive paddock insights. Jonas has covered everything from preseason testing to dramatic title deciders, capturing the emotion and precision that define modern F1. When he’s not tracking lap times or pit stop tactics, he enjoys exploring classic racing archives and writing about the evolution of F1 technology.
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