Hinchcliffe: Lewis Hamilton has the most to prove in F1 2026 after ‘shocker’ Ferrari debut
Lewis Hamilton is entering his second full season as a Ferrari driver
While it may sound insane to say, Lewis Hamilton has the most to prove of any driver on the F1 2026 grid, so believes ex-IndyCar star turned F1 pundit James Hinchcliffe.
Hamilton is the most successful driver in Formula 1 history, with seven World titles and 105 grands prix wins, but after a disappointing first season with Ferrari there is a lot riding on F1 2026.
Lewis Hamilton: The F1 2026 star with the most to prove?
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That is what Indycar race-winner turned F1 pundit James Hinchcliffe reckons, anyway.
Hamilton arrived at Ferrari to great fanfare in 2025, but went the entire season without a podium, in what was a disappointing, winless season for the Scuderia overall.
As such, while speaking on the Red Flags podcast, Hinchcliffe stated that Hamilton and Ferrari need to “step up” in F1 2026, as the new F1 2026 regulations come into force.
Asked who has the most to prove in the upcoming season, Hinchcliffe replied: “Lewis.
“It’s an insane thing to say that Lewis Hamilton will have anything to prove.
“Maybe that’s not even the right way to say it. Maybe it’s Ferrari.
“Just, they have to rebound from the year that they had. It was a bit of a shocker. And the drivers were saying it, Fred [Vasseur, team principal] was having to dodge bullets left, right and centre in the press. The [John] Elkann thing was bizarre, and just shows that there’s a little bit of contempt in there, in general.
“So I think that squad needs to step up.”
The complete reset of the chassis and engine regulations offers opportunity for a team like Ferrari to change the narrative, and ensure that it comes out on the right side of the shake-up.
Some theorised that Hamilton did not gel with the ground effect machinery of Formula 1’s previous era. He said himself that he would not miss anything about those cars.
“I am sceptical. I’m not going to lie,” Hinchcliffe cautioned on Hamilton. “Last year was not great.”
With active aerodynamics, and increased energy management to be key features of the new regulations, Hinchcliffe is not sure whether that will favour Hamilton.
“In the Rosberg Hamilton era, Rosberg was kind of the one that was known for maximising the switches and the buttons and the changes in the car. And Lewis maybe had him a bit on just kind of raw ability and race craft.
“So as we go more towards that side of things, I don’t know if that gap grows, that deficit grows.
“If he has another year like this year [2025], I just don’t know why you would keep going, right? I’m not him. I’m not going to speculate as to what his mindset is, or what it would be.
“If it was me, and I had two years like that, and it affected me, the way that it looked, at least from the outside, like it affected him… At this stage. I mean, he’s still the GOAT man. He’s got seven [titles]. He’s leading poles, wins, points, all of it, all the categories. He’s got them.”
One major change which has been made on Hamilton’s side of the garage ahead of F1 2026 revolves around his race engineer. It is not yet confirmed who will take over that role, with Riccardo Adami moving to another position within the company.
PlanetF1.com reported earlier this month that ex-McLaren performance engineer Cedric Michel-Grosjean is in line to become Hamilton’s new Ferrari race engineer, according to reports.
Hinchcliffe said that “trust is the big thing” with a driver and race engineer, pointing towards the Lando Norris/Will Joseph and Max Verstappen/Gianpiero Lambiase alliances.
“Hamilton and Riccardo, they just never got there on the trust side,” Hinchcliffe suggested.
Hinchcliffe believes therefore that the move to give Hamilton a new race engineer for F1 2026 was an “inevitable” and “necessary” decision, one which could potentially make a “big difference” as Hamilton bids to rescue his Ferrari career.
More on Lewis Hamilton from PlanetF1.com
Lewis Hamilton seeking ‘more days like this’ after Barcelona shakedown debut
Lewis Hamilton says drivers will play a ‘critical’ role under F1 2026 regulations
Hamilton issued a positive update following a “really productive” first run in the Ferrari SF-26 during Day 2 of the Barcelona shakedown, and said Ferrari will be chasing “some more days like this” after he and Charles Leclerc combined to complete around 120 laps in largely wet conditions.
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