Damon Hill sees one clear reason why Lewis Hamilton won’t make it to the end of 2026 with Ferrari

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Lewis Hamilton knows better than anyone that there is nothing better for the atmosphere of a team than winning. It brings people together.

After 18 years away from the top, that’s exactly what Ferrari have been searching for, almost for as long as current rookie Arvid Lindblad has been alive.

The 2026 F1 regulations are both a massive opportunity but also a significant risk for anyone on the grid. Those at the front have the most to lose, but could also create a lasting dominant advantage.

That’s the sort of thing that Hamilton will be looking for. Trying to beat teammate Charles Leclerc is tough enough without an Oscar Piastri, George Russell, or Max Verstappen breathing down his neck.

What do you think of Lewis Hamilton’s approach going into the 2026 F1 season?

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Ralf Schumacher is ‘already hearing’ about a Ferrari ‘disaster’, and seems to believe that the team are actually developing two cars at the same time. That does sound like a bit of a nightmare.

Hamilton is getting the ‘different things’ he wanted at Ferrari following the confirmation of race engineer Riccardo Adami’s departure. There is some hope.

READ MORE: Ferrari ‘source’ rates chances of Peter Bonnington becoming Lewis Hamilton’s new race engineer

Damon Hill thinks Lewis Hamilton ‘doesn’t need’ to be at Ferrari until the end of 2026

Hamilton ‘never felt comfortable’ in Ferrari’s simulator, but it’s something that he might have to just adapt to this year.

Especially with a foreign car, which could require a completely new driving style, he’s going to have to get used to it and work harder than his opponents in every area.

Mario Andretti thinks Hamilton can win an eighth title, but he’s going to need quite the turnaround to get there.

Damon Hill, on the other hand, can see a situation where the Briton doesn’t even make the end of the season if he doesn’t have a car that can compete in 2026.

“If the motivation goes, if Lewis has another year like he has been having, like last year or the year before, I don’t see him seeing the end of the year out,” he said on The Undercut podcast. “Because the joy of everything has gone out of it.

“You can’t simply, he doesn’t need to sit in a car and deliver points for Ferrari if Charles Leclerc is winning or getting more than him. He doesn’t need to be there.”

READ MORE: Ferrari want to ‘dispel’ myths about Lewis Hamilton’s actions behind the scenes in Maranello

When will Ferrari first test their 2026 F1 car with Lewis Hamilton

Pre-season testing officially kicks off in one week, behind closed doors, at the Barcelona circuit. Teams are already doing their final preparations before flying out.

In the case of Ferrari and every other team, they’re entitled to a 15km shakedown before heading to Spain, which they’ll complete at their test track in Fiorano.

That means that at some point this week, they’ll roll their car out for the first time. How much of it they choose to hide will be up to them.

With teams only allowed to run for three of the five days in Barcelona, they may even opt to skip the first one to allow themselves more time to prepare. There could be a few doing that.