Jenson Button warns 2026 will be make-or-break for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

Jenson Button believes the sweeping 2026 F1 regulations will decide whether Lewis Hamilton returns to his best or considers walking away

2009 Formula 1 champion Jenson Button has predicted that the 2026 regulation changes will show Lewis Hamilton “either at his best or a Lewis that’s maybe going to walk away”.

Hamilton made the blockbuster move from Mercedes to Ferrari at the start of 2025 after a successful 12-year stint with the Brackley outfit, which resulted in six of his seven championship titles and eight constructors’ titles.

After joining the Maranello outfit, the Briton has struggled more than he realised to adjust to the new team, language and power unit. Ferrari team chief Fred Vasseur previously admitted that both he and the seven-time champion had “underestimated” the difficulty of the move.

While Hamilton has faced difficulties in his maiden season with Ferrari, he sits sixth in the drivers' standings with 125 points. He secured his first sprint race win with the team in China, and his best grand prix finish to date this year is fourth place in Emilia-Romagna, Austria and Britain.

“We’ve seen some brilliance through the year," Button told Sky Sports F1 in Singapore. "I take it all the way back to the Shanghai sprint, which was very impressive. It’s not consistent enough through the year for him to have that confidence in the car.

"He doesn’t have his team of people around him like he’s had for many years, racing at Mercedes as a world champion. It does take a bit of time."

2026 will see the introduction of a new wave of regulations in the championship, which Button thinks will be a turning point for the 40-year-old.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Shameem Fahath / Motorsport Network

"With the new regulation change, which is massive for next year, that’s when we’re going to see either Lewis at his best, or a Lewis that’s maybe going to walk away," Button added.

Hamilton discussed his progress with the Vasseur-led team after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

"I think there’s still some improvements to make in terms of how aggressive I can be. The car has been quite snappy, so still not 100% confident under braking when I’m attacking on the brakes. In the last race, I was, but in this race, didn’t feel it so much with the set-up that we ended up having," Hamilton explained.

"It’s kind of crazy, because we’ve been progressing yet we’ve not had results, really in the last few races. But there’s not like no progress so I think we’re able to do a good weekend and a good result."