Ferrari told what they ‘need’ to let Lewis Hamilton do in 2026 to reach a ‘higher level’

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Giedo van der Garde feels Lewis Hamilton can avoid the 2026 F1 season being a “flop” like his first year at Ferrari in 2025, but only if the Scuderia allow him to do one thing.

Hamilton realised his childhood dream of being a Ferrari F1 driver when he moved to Italy in 2025. But by the end of the season, Hamilton called his first year with Ferrari a “nightmare” and dubbed 2025 his “worst season ever” in F1 after suffering an almost endless run of woe.

While Hamilton won the F1 Sprint in China during round two of the 2025 F1 season, it was a false dawn for what lied ahead. Ferrari realised the full extent of their ride height problems when Hamilton was disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix, and they did not fix the issue.

The seven-time F1 champion ultimately failed to get a Grand Prix podium in a season for the first time. Team boss Fred Vasseur stopping the development of Ferrari’s car in April to work on F1’s 2026 regulations left Hamilton and Charles Leclerc with one arm behind their backs.

Will we see the real Lewis Hamilton return in 2026?

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Ferrari ‘need’ to let Lewis Hamilton guide the team during the 2026 F1 season

Leclerc scored seven Grand Prix podiums in 2025, but Ferrari ended the year as the only one of F1’s top four teams without a victory. After finishing 2024 only 12 points short of winning the constructors’ title, Ferrari even finished 435 points adrift of McLaren in the 2025 season.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1’s 2026 engine and aero regulations

Van der Garde thinks the 2026 F1 regulations (with new engine, aero, chassis and tyre rules) offer Ferrari the ideal chance to respond to their miserable 2025 campaign. But for Ferrari to achieve a “higher level”, they must listen to Hamilton when it comes to improving as a team.

“I would have liked him to do better, but last year was obviously a flop for Hamilton,” Van der Garde told RacingNews365. “I didn’t expect that myself, but I think it was very tough for him mentally.

“[Now] it is a matter of a new season, new opportunities [and] a new car. I also think a team needs a driver like Hamilton – a man with his experience can guide such a team to a higher level, to have a better season. He can do that, especially with the new regulations.”

F1’s 2026 engine regulations could ‘really suit’ Lewis Hamilton’s driving style

Hamilton tried to help Ferrari improve after joining from Mercedes in 2025, as he compared their methods with what he experienced over 12 years in Brackley that yielded six titles. But it is said that some at Ferrari resented Hamilton for his lists of where they ought to improve.

Ferrari have not won the F1 drivers’ title since 2007. Will 2026 end their droughts?

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Moving to Maranello was a huge change for Hamilton, who had never previously driven for a non-English F1 team after spending six years at McLaren before his 12 years at Mercedes. Hamilton even moved to Ferrari in the final year of the ground-effect regulations he hated.

The record 105-time Grand Prix winner was never able to adapt his driving style to suit how ground-effect cars rewarded drivers who braked early, having always preferred to brake late and carry a higher speed into the apex. But the 2026 regulations should suit Hamilton more.

Van der Garde added: “With the new power unit and lower downforce, driving will be more stop-and-go. So, braking late, getting on the gas early so [that] you can continue to use the engine’s power effectively. That could really suit him.”