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Will Buxton believes Lewis Hamilton is uniquely placed to get back to his best with Ferrari under the new F1 regulations.
The last few years have been a struggle for Lewis Hamilton. Since he narrowly missed out on the 2021 drivers’ championship, Hamilton has failed to come close to contending.
Many had hoped his jump to Ferrari would be a return to form for the seven-time world champion, but that wasn’t the case at all.
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Coming into the 2026 season, Hamilton needs a new race engineer, after his struggles with Riccardo Adami eventually led to the latter taking a different role.
And Hamilton’s communication with Ferrari seems to have unlocked his potential ahead of the new season, which could allow him to get back to the level fans became accustomed to during his peak.
READ MORE: F1 fans choose who they think will win the 2026 title with Lando Norris receiving just 4% of votes
Will Buxton says Lewis Hamilton will return to 2021 level under new regulations
Speaking on the Chris Moyles Show on Radio X, Will Buxton was asked what fans can expect from the 2026 F1 season, with the first race in Australia just days away.
Buxton pointed to the new regulations and how Lewis Hamilton has looked fantastic in testing while adapting to them. In fact, he likened Hamilton’s form to his 2021 level when he was very dominant.
“I think Lewis Hamilton is going to be winning races again.”
“If preseason testing is anything to go by — and we never look too much into preseason testing — but the Ferrari looks really good, like really good, and Lewis was just waiting for this change of regulation to hopefully take him back to where he was back in 2021 with a car that he liked.”
“Lewis could qualify last and still be first by the first corner.”
Will Lewis Hamilton’s contribution to Ferrari’s car development be a gamechanger?
READ MORE: Will Buxton thinks Ferrari have found a ‘silver bullet’ with new 180-degree rear wing innovation
Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari desperate for a change in fortunes
After their disappointing first season together, Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari will want to come out strong to start the 2026 campaign.
Hamilton has been stubborn with Ferrari when demanding changes made to the car that suit his skillset more, but it’s hard to argue he hasn’t earned that right.
Lando Norris has backed Hamilton for success after seeing how he and Ferrari performed during testing in Bahrain.
But until the results start coming in, neither party is going to be satisfied with the work that’s been done to get the car ready.
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