While it may sound insane to say,\u00a0Lewis Hamilton has the most to prove of any driver on the F1 2026 grid, so believes ex-IndyCar star turned F1 pundit James Hinchcliffe.<\/p>\n
Hamilton is the most successful driver in Formula 1 history, with seven World titles and 105 grands prix wins, but after a disappointing first season with Ferrari there is a lot riding on F1 2026.<\/p>\n
Lewis Hamilton: The F1 2026 star with the most to prove?<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n That is what Indycar race-winner turned F1 pundit James Hinchcliffe reckons, anyway.<\/p>\n Hamilton arrived at Ferrari to great fanfare in 2025, but went the entire season without a podium, in what was a disappointing, winless season for the Scuderia overall.<\/p>\n As such, while speaking on the Red Flags podcast, Hinchcliffe stated that Hamilton and Ferrari need to \u201cstep up\u201d in F1 2026, as the new F1 2026 regulations come into force.<\/p>\n Asked who has the most to prove in the upcoming season, Hinchcliffe replied: \u201cLewis.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an insane thing to say that Lewis Hamilton will have anything to prove.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe that\u2019s not even the right way to say it. Maybe it\u2019s Ferrari.<\/p>\n \u201cJust, they have to rebound from the year that they had. It was a bit of a shocker. And the drivers were saying it, Fred [Vasseur, team principal] was having to dodge bullets left, right and centre in the press. The [John] Elkann thing<\/a> was bizarre, and just shows that there\u2019s a little bit of contempt in there, in general.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think that squad needs to step up.\u201d<\/p>\n The complete reset of the chassis and engine regulations offers opportunity for a team like Ferrari to change the narrative, and ensure that it comes out on the right side of the shake-up.<\/p>\n Some theorised that Hamilton did not gel with the ground effect machinery of Formula 1\u2019s previous era. He said himself that he would not miss anything about those cars.<\/p>\n \u201cI am sceptical. I\u2019m not going to lie,\u201d Hinchcliffe cautioned on Hamilton. \u201cLast year was not great.\u201d<\/p>\n With active aerodynamics, and increased energy management to be key features of the new regulations, Hinchcliffe is not sure whether that will favour Hamilton.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the Rosberg Hamilton era, Rosberg was kind of the one that was known for maximising the switches and the buttons and the changes in the car. And Lewis maybe had him a bit on just kind of raw ability and race craft.<\/p>\n \u201cSo as we go more towards that side of things, I don\u2019t know if that gap grows, that deficit grows.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he has another year like this year [2025], I just don\u2019t know why you would keep going, right? I\u2019m not him. I\u2019m not going to speculate as to what his mindset is, or what it would be.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it was me, and I had two years like that, and it affected me, the way that it looked, at least from the outside, like it affected him\u2026 At this stage. I mean, he\u2019s still the GOAT man. He\u2019s got seven [titles]. He\u2019s leading poles, wins, points, all of it, all the categories. He\u2019s got them.\u201d<\/p>\n One major change which has been made on Hamilton\u2019s side of the garage ahead of F1 2026 revolves around his race engineer. It is not yet confirmed who will take over that role, with Riccardo Adami moving to another position within the company.<\/p>\n PlanetF1.com reported<\/a> earlier this month that ex-McLaren performance engineer Cedric Michel-Grosjean is in line to become Hamilton\u2019s new Ferrari race engineer, according to reports.<\/p>\n Hinchcliffe said that \u201ctrust is the big thing\u201d with a driver and race engineer, pointing towards the Lando Norris\/Will Joseph and Max Verstappen\/Gianpiero Lambiase alliances.<\/p>\n \u201cHamilton and Riccardo, they just never got there on the trust side,\u201d Hinchcliffe suggested.<\/p>\n Hinchcliffe believes therefore that the move to give Hamilton a new race engineer for F1 2026 was an \u201cinevitable\u201d and \u201cnecessary\u201d decision, one which could potentially make a \u201cbig difference\u201d as Hamilton bids to rescue his Ferrari career.<\/p>\n More on Lewis Hamilton from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton seeking \u2018more days like this\u2019 after Barcelona shakedown debut<\/a><\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton says drivers will play a \u2018critical\u2019 role under F1 2026 regulations<\/a><\/p>\n Hamilton issued a positive update following a \u201creally productive\u201d first run in the Ferrari SF-26 during Day 2 of the Barcelona shakedown, and said\u00a0Ferrari will be chasing \u201csome more days like this\u201d after he and Charles Leclerc combined to complete around 120 laps in largely wet conditions.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n