(Motorsport-Total.com) – Lewis Hamilton has caused plenty of smiles in the paddock. Because the record world champion was observed closely inspecting the currently overpowering car of his former employer Mercedes, reactions on the net were not long in coming.
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Memories of Sebastian Vettel were awakened, who was famous for his meticulous inspections of other cars. “Finally we have a worthy successor for Inspector Seb,” a fan on Reddit celebrated the viral moment.
While some observers immediately speculated whether the Briton secretly regrets his departure from Mercedes, another user chose a much more pragmatic approach to Hamilton’s curiosity: “He’s doing exactly what everyone else is doing. He’s looking at the performance and trying to understand how to get six tenths out of a car that has hardly any aero updates that could explain it.”
Dream scenario or missed opportunity?
Another fan saw the action as a completely everyday situation that every employee knows: “Do you know that feeling when you change jobs, get curious and check out the website or LinkedIn profile of your old company to see what they’re up to and think to yourself: ‘Aha, interesting’. That’s probably exactly what it is.”
In fact, the balance of power in the premier class has shifted massively with the start of the 2026 era. Mercedes has left the unloved ground-effect generation behind and is currently dominating the field at will. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli converted an all-silver front row in Australia directly into a one-two victory. In China, the Silver Arrows continued seamlessly despite a small faux pas: Russell won the sprint, while Antonelli secured pole position for the Grand Prix in Shanghai.
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However, many do not see the fact that Hamilton is now chasing the very team with which he celebrated six of his seven world championship titles as potential for frustration. Quite the opposite. “He has dreamed of driving for Ferrari since he was a child,” one user aptly analyzes the situation of the 41-year-old. “Now he’s sitting in the second-fastest car and chasing the team he left and which is now dominating the top – that’s exactly the scenario real racers dream of.”
Upward trend at Ferrari after a tough start
It was not foreseeable for a long time that Hamilton would be able to compete at the top again in a Ferrari under his own power. After his sensational move to the Scuderia at the end of 2024, the Briton experienced an extremely tough first season in Maranello and struggled to adapt to his new sporting home.
But the new regulations for 2026 seem to suit the veteran much better. Already at the season opener in Melbourne, Hamilton reported back with a strong 4th place. In China, he is now attacking from 3rd on the grid and thus has the dominant Silver Arrows directly in his sights.
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