Legendary former F1 chief Ross Brawn believes a ‘vintage’ Lewis Hamilton could appear at Ferrari as early as 2026 if the team becomes more competitive.
As technical director, Brawn spent 10 seasons with the famous Italian team from 1997 to 2006, during Ferrari’s incredible title-winning success with Michael Schumacher.
Brawn then became team principal when Mercedes signed Hamilton in 2013, with the latter going on to set his own record with the Silver Arrows.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Anthony Davidson and David Croft analyze who Ferrari could hire as Lewis Hamilton’s new race engineer after Riccardo Adami’s departure
Hamilton opted for a new adventure when he signed with Ferrari, but his first season with the Scuderia was disappointing, losing out to teammate Charles Leclerc and missing out on his first career podium.
The 41-year-old, who has a new race engineer this season, is preparing to return for a second campaign in motorsport’s most famous red, with Ferrari set to unveil its 2026 car in Italy on Friday.
“I think we all want him to be successful,” Brown told Sky Sports News at the Autosport Awards ceremony.
“I have a special place for Ferrari. I’ve been there for 10 years and I know how tough it is there.”
“But there’s always a fine line between whether a team gels or not, and last year it didn’t gel completely.
“But I think if he gets some incentive and sees a chance, we’ll see a vintage Lewis.
“So I hope that happens.”
Ferrari as a whole is under intense pressure to adapt to F1’s radical new technical ruleset after failing to win a grand prix and finishing fourth in the constructors’ championship last year as their world title drought extended to 17 years.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Craig Slater asks former Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn whether Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari can turn their fortunes around in 2026.
Asked if he thought team principal Frédéric Vasseur was doing a good job in a situation where he is about to enter his fourth year as manager and is under the most intense scrutiny in F1, Brawn replied: “Yes. What you cannot see and cannot judge is the infrastructure behind Fred.”
“How well the engineers are working. I don’t know how everything is working, but I think how well they’re doing will be the measure of Fred this year.”
When does F1 pre-season testing take place?
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights from F1 testing at Barcelona Shakedown will be streamed live every night from Monday 26th January to Friday 30th January at 7pm on Sky Sports F1 YouTube and 9pm on Sky Sports F1 Channel.
With the introduction of new regulations, a strong schedule of three separate test events is planned before the start of the 2026 season.
The first test will take place behind closed doors in Barcelona from January 26th to 30th, followed by two more tests in Bahrain from February 11th to 13th and 18th to 20th.
When was your first F1 race?
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
F1 has outlined new regulation changes for 2026, including a replacement for DRS, in a plan to allow closer racing next year. Video provided by F1.
The team will then have two weeks to prepare for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne from March 6th to 8th.
The first practice session of the season will take place on Friday, March 6th, followed by qualifying on Saturday, March 7th and the opening race on Sunday, March 8th.
Watch all 24 race weekends of the 2026 F1 season live on Sky Sports F1, starting with the Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
