Jenson Button thinks a new ‘Lewis Hamilton era’ is starting in Formula 1

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Jenson Button says the 2026 Formula 1 rule changes have already had a noticeable impact on his former teammate Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton delivered an impressive performance at the Australian Grand Prix, finishing fourth.

While his wait for a first Grand Prix podium as a Ferrari driver continues, Hamilton immediately matched his best result of the 2025 season. The result was even more impressive given that he had started from seventh.

Hamilton entered the new regulations on the back of the worst spell of his career in 2024 and 2025, but there has long been optimism that the reset would allow the 41-year-old to bow out on a high.

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Jenson Button says Lewis Hamilton is ‘a lot more confident’ – and rightfully so

This year’s cars are lighter and smaller, which makes them ‘more nimble’. Previously, the teams had to dial some understeer into the setup to ensure the rear end was planted.

Having raced alongside Hamilton for three seasons at McLaren (2010-12), Button remembers his preference for a ‘strong front end’. In that sense, the new cars are fundamentally better suited to his driving style.

Button believes that Hamilton’s greater comfort in the cockpit is evident from his demeanour outside the car. He looked more ‘confident and excited’ at Albert Park than he had been for much of last year.

“It suits certain drivers differently than others,” Sky Sports pundit Button said before qualifying. “This is more of a Lewis Hamilton era, the way the car works.

• READ MORE: Jolyon Palmer tips Lewis Hamilton to replicate Chinese GP heroics after ‘rocket start’ in Melbourne

“The way that the cars are, they’re more nimble. You can have oversteer in a race car now and get away with it, as long as you do the right thing on the throttle pedal.

“That’s not been the case the last few years. They’ve had to set the cars up with a little bit of understeer with the ground effect, because if you did get a snap, you were facing the wrong way and in the wall.

“Lewis Hamilton likes to drive a car with strong front end and he was able to get the best out of it. I remember that from when we were teammates.

“This definitely suits him a lot more. You can see it on his face. He’s a lot more confident and excited about being here.”

The Australian Grand Prix stat that proves Lewis Hamilton is transformed

Hamilton was around six seconds behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc when he made his one and only pit stop during Sunday’s race. By the time he reached the chequered flag, the gap was only 0.8 seconds.

Hamilton says he would have overtaken Leclerc with a couple more laps. He was nearly two-tenths quicker per lap on average in the second stint.

A tyre offset helped him but even still, he very rarely enjoyed that kind of advantage over his teammate on a Sunday in 2025. That’s why Leclerc won the race day head-to-head 18-3, counting the races where both drivers finished.

Ultimately, a below-par Q3 performance cost Hamilton against his teammate, so this was still a flawed weekend. But there is definitely reason for supporters of the seven-time world champion to be excited.