Emerson Fittipaldi, two-time Formula 1 World Champion, has expressed great enthusiasm for Lewis Hamilton’s resurgence at Ferrari, hoping that the British driver can seriously compete for the title in the second half of the season.
Hamilton is currently in his second year with the Maranello team. While his initial season with the team raised doubts about his ability to compete at the highest level against teammate Charles Leclerc, Fittipaldi believes the seven-time champion has been able to prove his worth this year.
A tough start
His first season with Ferrari was complicated in terms of adapting to the team, but after the first half of the 2026 season, Hamilton is in second place in the drivers’ championship.
“I was very happy to see Lewis and Ferrari running quickly,” Fittipaldi said. “I remember last year… it happened to me in IndyCar, and in F1, when you get older people start saying ‘he can’t drive,’ and everyone criticized Lewis last year. ‘He can’t beat Leclerc, he’s too old.’ Now he’s going strong. It’s good for the sport, it’s good for the fans. To see Ferrari winning again, and Lewis winning, is fantastic.”
The new car
“One thing that isn’t talked about much is the new car. It’s smaller, with less aerodynamic load, and for me that makes it harder to drive fast. That brings out more talent. This is one of the reasons why Lewis has improved, due to his vehicle control, his feel for the car – he is an extremely talented driver. He is working in his second year with Ferrari, knows the engineers and the system.”
Looking to the future
Fittipaldi is eager to see how Hamilton will fight for the championship in the rest of the 2026 season. “I really hope Lewis can fight for the championship,” the Brazilian added. “It would be very good to see Lewis and Ferrari competing harder, to visit Mercedes. I hope so. I have a lot of respect for Fred Vasseur.”
“When I was leading A1 Team Brazil in the A1 Grand Prix, Fred (and his team ART Grand Prix) led our team and did very well. He’s a nice guy, a great guy. I think he knows the Italians well now! It should be good, the second part.”
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
