Mercedes F1 boss reveals Hamilton's 'unfinished business' in talks over 2026 move

Lewis Hamilton's former boss Toto Wolff has revealed what he thinks the seven-time F1 champion should do in 2026, in a show of faith to his former driver.

Ferrari star Hamilton has really struggled in 2025 since ditching Wolff's Mercedes outfit, having not scored a single grand prix podium as of yet, sitting sixth in the drivers' championship.

He is 42 points behind team-mate Charles Leclerc in the standings and, after being out-qualified by the Monegasque driver for the 10th time in 14 full-length qualifying sessions this year, Hamilton described himself as 'useless'.

The 40-year-old also suggested his team should consider axing him due to his poor performances over the last few months, even though his contract with the team runs until the end of the 2026 season.

Despite this, the likes of Ralf Schumacher and Damon Hill have questioned whether it is time for Hamilton to hang up his racing gloves, and retire a year earlier than his contract end date.

Now, Wolff has backed his former driver to turn things around, providing a verdict on where he believes Hamilton should drive for 2026.

"Lewis has unfinished business in Formula 1," Wolff told media in Budapest last weekend. "In the same way that Mercedes underperformed over this latest set of regulations since 2022, he kind of never got happy with ground effect cars, in the same way, it beats him. Maybe it's linked to driving style."

"He shouldn’t go anywhere next year. There are brand new cars which are completely different to drive. New power units which need an intelligent way of managing the energy. I hope he’s in [F1] for many more years. Next year is an important one.

"If he has a car that's not giving him the feedback that he wants, and that was the Mercedes of the past few years, and that seems to be the Ferrari, and even worse, then not.

"But you ask me if he still has 'it'? He definitely has it," Wolff concluded.

Should Hamilton see out Ferrari contract?

As Wolff mentioned in his assessment of Hamilton's predicament, there's no doubt the current generation of F1 cars have not suited Hamilton one bit. Since the beginning of the ground effect era in 2022, the most successful driver in F1 history has won just two grands prix.

What's more, both Mercedes and Ferrari have given him cars that are more suitable for fighting for top-five finishes than challenging for championships.

But F1 regulations are set to see a huge overhaul ahead of 2026. Car designs and power units will be radically altered, and Hamilton may well be racing in a car concept that is better suited to his talents.

Like the 2021 cars, for example, which saw Hamilton and Max Verstappen a cut above every other driver on the F1 grid, winning eight and 10 races respectively.

Hamilton should stick around in 2026 to see if the new cars can spark some better performances, but if they can't, then expect that to be the 40-year-old's final season in the sport.

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