Why Lewis Hamilton must take inspiration from Nigel Mansell’s Ferrari spell to become F1 world champion again

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Lewis Hamilton’s first season with Ferrari hasn’t gone to plan, and it adds a little more expectation on the 2026 season.

The team who have underdelivered the most over the last 15 years find themselves in desperate need of producing a winning car heading into the 2026 F1 regulations. Since Lewis Hamilton’s arrival, the fans have been patient, and now it’s time for them to be repaid.

2012 was the last time that Ferrari went into a decider with a shot at a drivers’ championship, and just three drivers from that grid remain today. One of them is the man involved in that decider (Fernando Alonso), the other currently drives for them (Hamilton), and the other is Nico Hulkenberg.

Hamilton has broken Ferrari’s unluckiest record and might be about to go a whole season without a podium for the first time ever. Ferrari need to keep Hamilton motivated with victory, or at least a sense of it, according to Damon Hill. Otherwise, his motivation might start to dip.

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Lewis Hamilton must embrace fresh start in 2026 like Nigel Mansell did to win another F1 title

Just five British drivers have won for Ferrari over the last 75 years, and Hamilton is aiming to become the next one. The last was nearly 35 years ago, when Nigel Mansell was driving for the team.

Much like Hamilton faces next year, Mansell took advantage of a fresh start in 1991, before going on to win his one and only title with Williams in 1992. If there’s anything Hamilton can take from his situation, it’s the importance of a fresh start.

For Mansell, it meant a change in teams, but it’s clear that won’t be the case for Hamilton. Instead, he needs to use the new regulations as a way of motivating himself and making sure that he puts everything into one last shot at winning an eighth title in 2026.

Hamilton is running out of patience at Ferrari, and it looks as though they aren’t listening to him from the outside. It would be foolish to ignore his feedback, given he knows exactly how to create a Formula 1 dynasty from his time at Mercedes.

With the exception of someone like Adrian Newey, he’s the best-placed individual in the sport to influence their operations and guide them to the level where they need to be. Hamilton will already know what needs changing, and now it’s up to Ferrari to listen to him.

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How did Nigel Mansell fare in his final F1 season with Ferrari?

Although Mansell’s final season with Ferrari was disappointing, he did manage to do something that Hamilton hasn’t in 2025.

He won a race in Portugal and featured on the podium four more times. He ended the season with three top-two finishes in four races.

The following year, with Williams in 1991, he won five races and built some momentum ahead of the 1992 campaign, which his team went on to dominate.

Mansell won eight of the first 10 races and finally got the triumph he deserved. If Hamilton can get back to winning ways in 2026, then activating his extension for 2027 could allow him to challenge for one more title before riding into the sunset.