F1 champion hits back at Lewis Hamilton age attacks

Lewis Hamilton

F1 champion hits back at Lewis Hamilton age attacks

Hamilton's F1 career has been called into question ever since he last won a championship

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Tuesday 4 August 2026 10:55

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An F1 champion has raced to the defence of Lewis Hamilton following an influx of criticism regarding the British legend's decision to continue racing into his 40s.

The traditional stereotypes around age in sport have never really applied to Hamilton.

He made his F1 debut in 2007 with McLaren when he was 22 and despite it being his rookie season in the pinnacle of motorsport, he finished the campaign with just one point less than Kimi Raikkonen, who took home the title.

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He also managed to finish his first year with McLaren equal on points with his team-mate at the time Fernando Alonso, who also happened to be the two-time defending champion.

Much to the frustration of the Spaniard, Hamilton displayed a confident yet measured demeanour as a rookie and Alonso chose not to stay with the team for the following season.

Then came 2008, the year Hamilton won his first drivers' championship. The rest is history.

The 41-year-old now has seven titles to his name and boasts 106 grand prix wins, making him statistically the greatest driver to ever grace the sport, but even that didn't stop the criticism from flooding in last season when he showed signs of his relentless talent deteriorating.

Fittipaldi: Hamilton winning again is good for the sport

The mood was low at the Maranello-based F1 squad once the honeymoon phase of Hamilton's team switch had worn off.

The Brit was six of his seven championships with former team Mercedes and his move to Ferrari was supposed to reignite his hopes of title glory.

But when it quickly became clear that the partnership was not going to get off to a smooth start in 2025, the questions rolled in over whether Hamilton was past his best.

Some even suggested Hamilton was being selfish in occupying a full-time seat at the Scuderia when there are youngsters like Ollie Bearman waiting to get their shot at a full-time contract with the team.

But having dusted off the cobwebs and completely reshuffled his team personnel, Hamilton made quite the statement in 2026 by not only winning his first grand prix in red but also showing that he isn't ready to give up his career just yet.

This is something that fellow champion Emerson Fittipaldi is glad to have witnessed, telling F1.com: "I was so happy to see Lewis and Ferrari going fast," in reference to the first half of the 2026 campaign.

"I remember last year… it happened to me in IndyCar, and in F1, when you get older people start saying, ‘Well, he cannot drive’, and everybody last year criticised Lewis. ‘He cannot beat Leclerc, he’s too old’. Now he’s going strong.

"I think for the sport it’s good, for the fans it’s good. Seeing Ferrari winning again, and Lewis winning again, is fantastic."

Hamilton will now be working hard over the summer shutdown to come back fighting in the second half of the season having secured his spot in P2 of the drivers' championship until the campaign resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix on August 23.

With 12 rounds to go, Hamilton is just 50 points away from title leader Kimi Antonelli, and stealing the title off of a driver who is over 20 years his junior would be the ultimate vindication for Hamilton.

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F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Emerson Fittipaldi