Former F1 driver makes worrying early prediction about Hamilton’s 2026 season

Despite the sweeping regulation changes set to usher in a new era of Formula 1, the 50-year-old believes Hamilton is unlikely to find relief in 2026. Schumacher expects the seven-time world champion to continue struggling, pointing to concerns surrounding his attitude towards simulator work.

“Winter testing would have helped in the past. But behind the scenes, you hear he doesn't like simulators and he's still looking for that old driving feel. That tells me it's not just age, but also a mental issue. He's no longer willing to open up,” Schumacher said via Sport1.

The former Williams driver continued by stressing he doesn't expect the 2026 regulations to suit the British driver, highlighting how he has had less ‘tinkering’ through his career.

“Hamilton was never much of a setup tinkerer. That was already known from his Formula 3 days. Toto Wolff always said at Mercedes: The drivers drive, the team does the setup. You can't change that overnight. That's a weakness,” he added.

The 2026 F1 season will feature one of the biggest overhauls the sport has ever witnessed, with changes spanning across the chassis and engines.

Hamilton, on his part, endured a challenging 2025 season with Ferrari, failing to record any top-three finish and etching his name into several unwanted record books at the Maranello outfit.

Earlier, Schumacher pointed at the resigned demeanour of Hamilton during the struggles of the 2025 season as what disappoints him the most about the driver.

The former F1 driver stressed he expected Hamilton to show resilience despite the challenges he was faced with.

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