Former Formula 1 driver and World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has backed Lewis Hamilton to continue his bright start to the 2026 season, labelling the Ferrari driver as “almost unbeatable” in the right frame of mind and in the right machinery.
Hamilton has been frank about his troubled 2025 season and the negative figure he cut for most of it, having failed to score a single podium for the first time in his F1 career.
But equally, the seven-time World Champion has been noticeably enthusiastic about 2026, pinning much of it down to the personal input he has placed into the SF-26.
The new challenger, coupled with the new regulations, have given Hamilton a significant boost, and has seen the front of the field about as often already this year than he did in his first season with the Scuderia.
Hamilton, despite having turned 41 this year, has certainly lost none of the old magic, having engaged former teammate and title favourite George Russell in an enthralling battle for the lead in the Sprint Race at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.
And Villeneuve, speaking in his capacity as a pundit for Sky Sports F1 in Shanghai, believes that as long as the Ferrari remains at least somewhat competitive compared the superior Mercedes package, he will put the likes of Russell and other front-facing drivers on notice.
“It’s nice to see Lewis like this,” said Villeneuve on Sky F1.
“There’s two Lewis’s. When he’s positive like this, he’s almost unbeatable. He’s quick. We’ve seen it today, because he beat, in qualifying, his teammate, who’s a pro of qualifying.
“He’s older, he’s got a lot of experience, but he still has that energy.
“Then, you have the Lewis like last year, it just goes down, and it drags a lot of negative energy with him, and that’s never nice to see.
“So if we can keep Lewis like this the whole season, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with.”
What Motorsport Week thinks
Russell was full of acknowledgement of Hamilton’s display in Shanghai, saying he was “caught off guard” by his former teammate’s on-track onslaught in the early stages of the Sprint.
Charles Leclerc was even irked by Hamilton’s closeness amid their intra-team battle for position once Russell finally freed himself from his clutches, the pair having rarely raced each-other last year due to Hamilton’s inferiority through the problematic SF-25 car.
Hamilton certainly appears to be practically a new man – or perhaps the old Hamilton, depending on how you look at it.
Reinvigorated by the much-maligned new ruleset and the new Ferrari, it would be churlish to rule out his first victory in red coming at some point this season.
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