Why Hamilton’s mindset still gives him an edge no one else has
Lewis Hamilton has been tipped to bounce back at Ferrari by Usain Bolt
F1 2026 is an opportunity at redemption for Lewis Hamilton, as the sport’s most successful driver looks to kick on after a disappointing first year with Ferrari.
Hamilton went without a podium in 2025, but iconic former sprinter Usain Bolt – from one elite athlete to another – says Hamilton’s past achievements make it easier to find his way back to the pinnacle of the sport.
Lewis Hamilton tipped to ‘really show up again’ at Ferrari
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Hamilton is striving to win a record eighth World Championship, and simultaneously end Ferrari’s title drought, ongoing since 2008.
He arrived in Maranello to great fanfare in 2025. But the union of Formula 1’s most successful team and driver stumbled out of the blocks.
Hamilton failed to score a podium, in a year which did not produce any Ferrari grand prix wins. He did, however, Hamilton did provide Ferrari’s only form of victory by winning the China Sprint, but it was one of very few highlights.
With the chassis and engine regulations drastically overhauled for F1 2026, Hamilton has already declared the new cars “more enjoyable” to drive, while he has felt a “winning mentality” at Ferrari. Hamilton set the fastest lap of the Barcelona closed-doors shakedown according to the unofficial timesheets.
The road back to the World Championship – which Hamilton is looking to follow to a record eighth title – is one which Bolt believes is made easier to navigate by Hamilton’s track record.
Bolt, widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time, is an avid Hamilton supporter, and in 2023, picked Hamilton as his F1 icon, as part of a series for the Formula 1 website.
Speaking about Hamilton with RacingNews365, Bolt said: “For me, it’s always going to be tough. But as a person who knows what it takes to get to the top, it’s never going to be perfect.
“It’s much easier to get back to the top, because you know the work, and you know what you need to do to get back on top.
“So for me, I know it’s going to be tough on Lewis. It’s going to take him at least two years to really get comfortable, settle in, and get used to Ferrari.
“So I look forward to the upcoming years; he’s going to really show up again.
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“I look forward to the moment when he gets back on top, because, as I said, he knows what it takes to get there and to stay there.”
Hamilton split with manager Marc Hynes ahead of the F1 2026 campaign, and is also set to link-up with a new race engineer, as he bids to turn his Ferrari career around.
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