Lewis Hamilton has been “reinvigorated” this season, according to former F1 world champion Nigel Mansell.
Hamilton finished third at the Chinese Grand Prix, his first podium finish since joining Ferrari in 2025, ending a 16-month drought without an F1 podium.
The 41-year-old is also quite close on pace to teammate Charles Leclerc, who struggled throughout last year in a previous generation F1 car.
However, this year’s new regulations appear to suit Hamilton’s driving style and Mansell did not rule out the possibility of the seven-time world champion winning a race at some point this season.
The 1992 F1 world champion told Sky Sports News: “Lewis is motivated again. Lewis has had a brilliant career and what he’s doing is great.”
“He’s back on his feet now. Ferrari have done a great job over the winter. They’re there or so, Mercedes are the pioneers of that and McLaren will be there too.”
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Watch Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s rapid race starts so far this season
Hamilton said he was “more prepared mentally and physically than ever” for the final race in Japan, which he credited with helping his recovery.
“When I joined Ferrari last year, I wasn’t involved in the production of that car at all. I joined because it was an evolution of the previous year’s car, but it wasn’t really a car made for me and it didn’t suit my driving style in general,” he said.
“There were some elements we couldn’t install during the season, such as the suspension, because they were too expensive to build within our budget.
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Watch the moment Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s wheels come together during a scrap at the Chinese Grand Prix.
“It was a really tough season. I decided to focus on this year’s car, so I didn’t develop the car all year. I had to work on the simulator, learn and work with the engineers.
“It was what I was looking for, like, ‘Next year we need to have this in the car.’ And I pushed and pushed and pushed.
“We’re coming to this year’s car and it’s a completely new start for everyone, but there are a few things I asked for and I appreciate you listening. Charles and I have tested them and we both like them.”
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Ant Davidson on the F1 Show podcast talks about Lewis Hamilton’s comeback following strong start to Ferrari driver season
Mansell: ‘Russell needs to stamp his authority at Mercedes’
Mansell competed in several title fights in the 1980s for Williams, including a hard-fought battle with Nelson Piquet, before becoming world champion in 1992.
If Mercedes maintains or expands its advantage over other teams, this year’s F1 Drivers’ Championship could become a two-horse race, giving George Russell and Kimi Antonelli the chance to become world champions.
Antonelli has a nine-point lead over Russell following back-to-back wins in China and Japan, and Mansell believes the British driver needs to draw on his experience to win the battle within the team.
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David Croft and Martin Brundle discuss whether Kimi Antonelli could pose a real challenge to senior Mercedes team-mate George Russell?
He said: “George is a great driver. Sometimes it depends on how the chips go, sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don’t. It’s a long season and you have to lead with incredible focus.”
“I’ll never forget that in 1992[teammate]Riccardo Patrese thought I had a special car. We swapped qualifying cars in São Paulo at the beginning of the season and Sir Frank[Willi](Ams) and Patrick Head) agreed because I was 2 seconds faster than him. Long story short, I went out in his car on the first and second laps and was 1.5 seconds faster in his car.”
“The important thing is that you have to give credit to the authorities. Kimi has done a great job. He’s young. Everyone is pulling for him so it’s going to be exciting to watch.”
F1 will resume with the second sprint weekend of the season, the Miami Grand Prix, from May 1-3, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
