(Motorsport-Total.com) – Will Lewis Hamilton return to his old strength after the end of the ground effect era in Formula 1? The fact that the record world champion secured his first ever podium finish for Ferrari in China, in only his second race under the new regulations, speaks for this.
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However, former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine warns against drawing hasty conclusions. “I wouldn’t take that for granted,” he replies to La Gazzetta dello Sport when asked if Hamilton has now overcome his crisis.
“In China, he was on the podium with Ferrari for the first time, but that’s also his track,” Irvine explains. Indeed, the Shanghai International Circuit is one of Hamilton’s best tracks on the Formula 1 calendar. With six victories, Hamilton is the record winner of the Chinese GP.
And even in 2025, when he didn’t get a single podium finish in the entire calendar year, he at least won the sprint in Shanghai. According to Irvine, there is therefore much to suggest that China might have been more of a positive outlier for Hamilton and not the new normal.
Especially since the following race in Suzuka presented a completely different picture. “In Japan, however, he was outclassed by Charles Leclerc all weekend,” explains the 1999 vice world champion bluntly.
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Teammate Leclerc finished third on the podium there, while Hamilton was only sixth. Although only ten seconds separated the two at the finish, Leclerc had already finished third against Hamilton in P4 at the season opener in Melbourne.
If you include the sprint in China, the internal race duel between Leclerc and Hamilton is currently 3:1 in favor of the Monegasque. The Grand Prix in Shanghai was the only race where Hamilton saw the checkered flag ahead of his teammate.
By the way, Irvine can’t make much of the new 2026 Formula 1 regulations. “I don’t like it at all. There definitely need to be changes. It can’t be that everything revolves around how full the battery is,” says the 60-year-old.
“I love electric cars, I have four of them,” emphasizes Michael Schumacher’s long-time teammate, “but there’s no point in trying to make the premier class environmentally friendly.” In addition, Oliver Bearman’s accident in Suzuka showed that the new regulations are also “dangerous”.
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