Hamilton's return to form delights former F1 champion: 'I was called too old as well'

After a difficult first year with Ferrari in 2025, Hamilton has rediscovered his form this season. He won the Barcelona-Catalunya GP, his first Grand Prix victory in Ferrari red, and heads into the summer break second in the drivers' standings.

Fittipaldi understood what Hamilton went through last year, he explained to F1.com. He said: "I was so happy to see Lewis and Ferrari going fast. I remember last year… it happened to me in IndyCar, and in F1, when you get older people start saying, ‘Well, he cannot drive’, and everybody last year criticized Lewis. ‘He cannot beat Leclerc, he’s too old’.

The Brazilian continued: "One thing that nobody talks about a lot is the new car. It’s smaller, with less downforce, and to me it makes it harder to drive fast. I think it brings out more talent.

Hamilton has vowed not to give the stewards any reason to penalize him after the summer break, despite being unhappy with some of their decisions in recent weeks.

For after the summer break, the seven-time world champion sees one solution. "I'll work hard to try and come back. There's still a lot of positives to take. I'm going to try and make sure I don't give them any reason to penalize me."