Does Lewis Hamilton regret Mercedes F1 exit? Here's what the champion's thinking

Lewis Hamilton

Does Lewis Hamilton regret Mercedes F1 exit? Here's what the champion's thinking

Hamilton is facing an uphill battle against his former F1 team in 2026

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 21 March 2026 11:27 Updated: 12:18

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Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton could be regretting his move to Ferrari as he watches the Silver Arrows disappear into the distance on track in 2026.

At last weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton finally returned to the podium having gone 27 races without a top-three finish in a grand prix.

But although his legions of fans could finally rejoice after enduring a painful first campaign in red last year, one couldn't help but realise that the fact Hamilton was joined by both Mercedes drivers on the podium showed just how strong his former team are under the new regulations.

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Kimi Antonelli and George Russell have cemented Mercedes as the firm favourites early on in the new regulations cycle, with Hamilton's former team-mate now leading the drivers' championship.

Ferrari have impressed their rivals with their lightning fast starts so far in 2026, something which allowed Hamilton to snatch the race lead off of Antonelli instantly last weekend in Shanghai.

But the Scuderia's race pace is not quite up to Mercedes' standard, with the British legend telling media last time out that Toto Wolff's F1 squad had 'four or five tenths' on the Italian team at the moment.

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Is early Mercedes lead giving Hamilton second thoughts?

It was certainly a joyous moment to watch Hamilton be reunited with his former team and race engineer Peter Bonnington (Bono) on the Chinese GP podium, with ex-team principal Wolff beaming at the concept of Hamilton having found his feet again after struggling with the previous regulations.

But it is only natural to consider whether Hamilton now regrets leaving Mercedes, with the new generation of cars clearly a much better fit than the previous ones.

If Hamilton is able to return to the grand prix podium in just his second race weekend in the new machinery with Ferrari, imagine what he could be doing in a Mercedes?

Well, according to one experienced racer, Hamilton won't be allowing himself to dwell on the past, instead saving the 'what ifs' for retirement.

Hamilton not giving in after 'emotionally disappointing' Ferrari campaign

When asked if Hamilton would be regretting leaving Mercedes on a recent episode of the Up to Speed podcast, 13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard gave an insight into the mind of the seven-time champion, replying: "I don’t think so.

"I think the mind of a sports person, and more specifically, a racing driver, is all about the here and now. It’s about the opportunity.

"He may reflect, when his career is eventually over, on decisions he’s made, but right now, he’s on the hamster wheel. He’s part of this.

"It was huge news when he signed to go to Ferrari. It was a hugely emotionally disappointing year, last year, and we were all sort of going, ‘Is he done?’ And to his credit, he’s come and shown us that he’s not done. But that is forever the game, isn’t it?

"I think he made it easier for Mercedes by leaving to go to Ferrari, because that would have been difficult for Toto to eventually say, 'Lewis, we need to move on. We need the next generation’.

"So that’s like one box ticked in terms of Mercedes being released, and if he continues like this this year, podiums, maybe a win, and then will that make him go again, thinking he can get a championship next year?"

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari David Coulthard