F1 legend Lewis Hamilton should take this advice from former team-mate

A blended image of Hamilton looking grateful in Ferrari kit and Russell looking surprised in a Mercedes hoodie — Photo: © IMAGO

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton should take this advice from former team-mate

Hamilton has got himself into a bit of a rut at Ferrari

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 9 January 2026 09:12

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A former F1 team-mate of Lewis Hamilton has parted with some valuable advice the seven-time champion could do with following in 2026.

The 41-year-old's esteemed career has spanned across 19 seasons and three F1 teams, and in that time, he has raced alongside seven different team-mates.

But it is his most recent former F1 partner George Russell who he should be paying close attention to.

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In a recent interview with Maxim Magazine, Russell warned that drivers who treat a bad year as a 'lost season' when they're not winning are at risk of never returning to the front of the competitive order again.

Hamilton's 2025 campaign could somewhat be interpreted as this ‘lost season’ Russell refers to, especially when you consider that the ex-Mercedes star admitted as early as July that he and Ferrari had already switched their focus to the 2026 car after a disastrous weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Did Hamilton throw away 2025 F1 season?

Now, were Hamilton and Ferrari alone in switching focus to 2026 early on? No. But the fact he was so willing to give up on his 2025 campaign after struggling consistently throughout his first season in red is exactly what Russell has vowed to never personally do.

Asked how he has psychologically handled an F1 season in his own career when he knew he was unlikely to win the championship, Russell said: "I think drivers who treat a season when they’re not winning as a lost season lose their chance when the opportunity does come.

"So, I’m treating every single race I go to as if this is going to be the race that we’re going to win, and I need to bring absolutely everything to it. And I know my opportunity will come.

"I don’t know if that will be next year, in two years, five years, or 10 years, but I need to keep performing at the highest level of my ability to then be ready for that moment."

In fairness, Russell has no drivers' titles to his name, whereas Hamilton has seven.

But does this give him an excuse to resign when things aren't going his way? Absolutely not.

Hamilton and Ferrari have been handed a fresh start given the regulations overhaul in 2026 and there will no doubt be hiccups well into the first half of the season.

But the F1 legend needs to keep fighting on, regardless of the Scuderia's championship chances this year, or he'll risk disappearing into the middle of the pack where he may never emerge from again.