Lewis Hamilton has just shown a former F1 world champion was totally wrong in an amazing way.
Former F1 world champion Damon Hill is really impressed by how well Lewis Hamilton has been doing this season and thinks Hamilton should be the main driver at Ferrari instead of Charles Leclerc.
Even though Hamilton finished ninth at the Sao Paulo GP after starting at the back, he’s still fourth in the drivers’ standings, just one point behind Mercedes’ George Russell and 18 points behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with three races left.
Hamilton won his first race for Ferrari at the Barcelona GP back in June, which gave fans hope he could fight for an eighth world title. Although that dream is now harder to reach, the 41-year-old has had a bit of a comeback in 2026 after some tough years.
Hamilton left Mercedes in 2025, where he won six of his seven world championships, and joined Ferrari. His start there was tough—last season, Leclerc outperformed him, and Hamilton finished sixth in the standings without any podiums for the first time in his career.
Many thought Hamilton was past his best, but this year he’s bounced back, now sitting 12 points ahead of Leclerc. Damon Hill says he’s surprised by Hamilton’s strong performance because he expected it to be a tough year.
“I think Lewis has a special presence,” Hill said on Sky Sports F1. “Last year he was really struggling, but he has fought his way back and done much better than I expected. He’s even got pole positions and wins with Ferrari—who would have thought that last year?”
Hill also mentioned that Ferrari has some internal problems. “There seems to be teams supporting one driver over the other inside Ferrari,” he said. “That can’t happen if they want to compete against Red Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes.”
Hill pointed out that this team conflict shows in moments like when Leclerc pushed Hamilton off the track in Mexico City, which upset the whole team. Hamilton was angry after the race, saying his teammate was “working against him,” though they’ve said the issue is now settled.
Still, without clear rules about how teammates should race each other, these problems might keep coming up.
Hill thinks Ferrari should back Hamilton as their number one driver. He believes Hamilton would deliver great results if the team fully supported him.
“You have to decide as a team who you back,” Hill told Sky Sports. “It makes sense to put all your support behind Lewis. You’ve already invested a lot in him. An eighth world title for him would be incredible.
“Charles might feel that’s unfair since he’s been there longer, but look at the results. Lewis’s main job is to help Ferrari win, not just to be a Ferrari driver.”
However, when Hamilton signed with Ferrari, his contract said he had to share number one status with Leclerc. Ferrari’s team principal, Fred Vasseur, confirmed in September that both drivers are treated equally, and that’s unlikely to change.