Damon Hill says all Lewis Hamilton needed was a ‘fast car’ as Ferrari fightback begins

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Damon Hill says it’s been ‘a long time’ since Lewis Hamilton looked so happy after the Ferrari driver continued his encouraging start to the 2026 season at the Chinese Grand Prix.

In the span of just two weekends, Hamilton has already matched his best qualifying (third) and Grand Prix result (fourth) from 2025. It looks as if the intra-team battle at Ferrari will be far closer after Charles Leclerc comfortably prevailed last year.

Hamilton spectacularly battled George Russell for the lead at the start of Saturday’s Shanghai Sprint. While he eventually lost out to Russell and indeed Leclerc, he still managed his first ‘podium’ of any description since the Miami Sprint last May.

Damon Hill says Lewis Hamilton has ended his ‘suffering’

Speaking on Channel 4’s Saturday highlights, Hill said that F1’s most successful driver had emerged from his personal ‘crisis’. On the ground in China, it’s said that Hamilton’s body language is completely different to 2025.

Hamilton looked uncomfortable for most of the most ground-effect era, but Hill is already confident that the new generation of cars suit his driving style. He has also been boosted by Ferrari’s improvement: they are currently the nearest challengers to Mercedes after finishing fourth in last year’s standings.

“He got stuck in really early [in the Sprint],” said Hill. “I can imagine his state of mind now, after all that suffering for the last year.

• READ MORE: Ted Kravitz thinks Lewis Hamilton made a ‘power play’ versus George Russell in Chinese GP parc ferme

“He said he actually lost himself, he had a bit of a crisis. Give him a fast car, and he bounces straight back!”

The 1996 world champion later added: “He’s looking so happy. It’s a long time since we’ve seen him looking so happy. He’s enjoying driving these cars, which clearly suit his style. He’s making the best use of it, so congratulations to Lewis.”

Hill’s former teammate Jacques Villeneuve said Hamilton is ‘almost unbeatable’ when he maintains a positive mindset.

David Coulthard raves about Lewis Hamilton’s racecraft in F1 Sprint

Hamilton passed former Mercedes colleague Russell at the start of the Sprint by diving down the inside at turn nine, an unusual overtaking spot.

Russell admitted afterwards that Hamilton had rather caught him napping, and F1TV pundit David Coulthard was delighted by the ‘creativity’ of the overtake.

“You love to see that!” Coulthard said in commentary. “That is creative, instinctive racing from Lewis Hamilton!”

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur is pleased to see Hamilton pushing Leclerc. He thinks they can now replicate the dynamic at McLaren, where the extremely close battle between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris has raised the team’s ceiling.