David Coulthard thinks ‘super talent’ Lewis Hamilton has been ‘neutralised’ by 2026 regulations

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Lewis Hamilton is enjoying the start to the 2026 Formula 1 season and the new regulations, but David Coulthard thinks the changes have ‘neutralised’ him.

The seven-time champion has adapted well to the 2026 rules. Aided by having more input on Ferrari’s development of the SF-26, Hamilton has been regularly fighting at the front, scoring his first podium in red in Shanghai.

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He is much closer to teammate Charles Leclerc this year, with the pair enjoying strong battles on track. Ralf Schumacher thinks Hamilton has taken Leclerc out of his comfort zone by offering him a greater challenge than in 2025.

Hamilton has historically had the edge over his teammates during his career, up until recently, with the ground-effect era at Mercedes and at Ferrari against Leclerc. While he has improved in 2026, Coulthard thinks the ‘super talents’ no longer have an advantage.

David Coulthard thinks 2026 regulations have brought ‘super talents’ like Lewis Hamilton closer to the field

Discussing the 2026 changes on the Up To Speed podcast, the former McLaren and Williams driver explained why his jury is still out on Hamilton. He thinks the start of this new ruleset has brought more dominant drivers back closer to the rest of the grid.

He said: “Adaptability is so important, and that’s one of the key things I think that, if you look, the best drivers in the history of the sport, you haven’t really heard them saying, ‘Oh, I’m really struggling with these new regulations.’

“And that’s where my jury is still out on Lewis because, [he’s] undoubtedly having a much better start to this year. But when people refer to, ‘Oh, the previous generation of cars didn’t suit Lewis,’ I struggle with that because Lewis is a game-changer driver.

“He’s someone that redefined an era of the sport and had that amazing run to multiple championships.

Is David Coulthard right? Are F1’s best drivers being held back by the new regulations?

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“And it feels right now, at the beginning of this generation of cars, that drivers that historically have had bigger gaps relative to their teammates, like Max relative to Hadjar, for instance, it feels that the super talents have been neutralised a little bit.

“And that’s maybe helping others that maybe are either not as good as they were or just never been that good to average out their performances.

“We’re always looking at the inter-team comparisons, aren’t we? That’s the holy grail of whether you’ve performed or not. Right now, there hasn’t been a very clear split across any of the drivers and teams.

“There’s been Fernando in the past, has dominated teammates, or Lewis has done that, or Max has done that. So, I’m curious to see how the year unfolds with this new set of regulations.”

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Lewis Hamilton likes the new regulations – but can he win with them?

Hamilton appears much more confident and comfortable with the 2026 car than last year’s generation. While drivers have been quick to criticise the changes, he has defended them, saying that the battery management allows for more overtaking.

George Russell feels Hamilton has a ‘great point’, shutting down claims that it is ‘yo-yo racing, but rather ‘pure racing’ with constant overtaking and action. The latter has adapted well, but right now, Ferrari do not have the tools to match Mercedes.

The Maranello outfit have been excellent with their launches off the grid, but Mercedes have had the package to close the gap and eventually breeze to victory. Ferrari have been working tirelessly behind the scenes over the April break to improve the SF-26.

Ferrari have ‘significantly’ modified the Macarena rear wing as they hope to reap the benefits from the radical design. Whether they will use it in Miami is another question.