Button warns: Hamilton’s F1 future hangs on 2026

Jenson Button has sounded a cautionary note about Lewis Hamilton’s future, suggesting that the seven-time world champion faces a defining crossroads in 2026 – one that could see him rediscover his best form with Ferrari or decide that it’s time to walk away from the sport altogether.

Amid a challenging debut season with the Scuderia, Hamilton’s future in Formula 1, according to his former McLaren teammate, may hinge entirely on how well Ferrari adapts to the sweeping regulation changes that will reshape the grid next year.

Hamilton’s blockbuster move to the Italian outfit at the start of 2025 after an incredibly successful period with Mercedes, equated to a seismic shift. However, the transition to the Maranello-based team has been anything but smooth.

Adjusting to a new team culture, language, and power unit has proven more daunting than anticipated. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur candidly admitted that both he and Hamilton had, in retrospect, “underestimated” the complexities of this shift.

Though he claimed a sprint race win in Shanghai and several strong fourth-place finishes in Emilia-Romagna, Austria, and Britain, Hamilton’s flashes of brilliance have been intermittent.

2026: A Make-or-Break Year

Button, who partnered Hamilton during their McLaren years, believes that the 40-year-old is still searching for the comfort and confidence that once made him unstoppable.

“We’ve seen some brilliance through the year,” the 2009 F1 world champion 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.”

Looking ahead, Button was blunt about what the next chapter could mean for Hamilton’s future.

“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.”

Headlines Only Tell One Story

For his part, Hamilton remains resolute and forward-looking, choosing to highlight Ferrari’s resilience amid the growing scrutiny of their results. In a message posted on his Instagram account, the seven-time world champion pushed back against the negativity surrounding his first season with the Scuderia.

“I’m looking at the positives on track too,” he said. “The media headlines only tell one story – one where we don’t get things quite right or things don’t go our way.

“But what I have been focused on over the past few months is the other story – the one about how this team responds when things go wrong. How we get back up, and we go again.”

Reflecting on his race under the Marina Bay lights, Hamilton added a note of determination:

“Yesterday was the perfect example. We got the strategy right, but the brake issue set us back just when momentum was building. So now we get back in the factory, learn from this last race, and plan for the next one.

"I’m really proud of this team and want to help deliver the results they and the tifosi deserve. I see the progress we are making, and the hard work that goes into every race, but this is Ferrari.

"Progress alone is not enough. To achieve greatness we need to go further, be better. There is so much we can achieve together, and if we can build on our successes, and change the things we need to, I fully believe we will get there."

• Read also: Hamilton ‘feeling the pain’ for Ferrari team after Singapore misery

Button’s warning may sound stark, but it’s grounded in realism. At 40, Hamilton is balancing legacy, motivation, and the realities of Formula 1’s evolving landscape.

Ferrari’s success – or lack thereof – under the incoming regulations could determine not only his future but the next chapter of the sport itself.

The 2026 season is shaping up to be Hamilton’s ultimate test: a chance to rediscover the champion who conquered an era – or to decide that the time has finally come to step away from the fight.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook