Ex-Ferrari Star Refutes Lewis Hamilton ‘Forgot How to drive’ Claims

Ex-Ferrari star Rubens Barrichello gave his verdict on Lewis Hamilton's recent struggles at Ferrari and refused that he forgot how to drive.

Ex-Ferrari Star Refutes Lewis Hamilton ‘Forgot How to drive’ Claims

Lewis Hamilton (via Getty)

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Lewis Hamilton has been unable to perform well in his debut year with Ferrari. The Briton’s best result in the first 14 outings is only a P4 finish at the British GP as well as the Austrian GP, with only a sprint race in China. Hamilton is currently P6 in the driver’s standings and nowhere near the championship contention. Despite these failing results from the 40-year-old, ex-Ferrari driver, Rubens Barrichello refuses to rule out the seven-time champion’s chances to succeed in the near future.

Lewis Hamilton has remained realistic about the problems he has been facing in terms of performance at Ferrari. The most recent Hungarian GP also seemed to be the breaking point for the 40-year-old as he deemed himself completely useless. Amid these disappointing results, people are claiming that Hamilton has potentially forgotten how the drive in the pinnacle of motorsport, maybe because of age.

However, ex-Ferrari star Rubens Barrichello was having none of it and bluntly declined all these claims. Barichello recalled the fact that Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time champion in Formula 1, and no recent struggles can strip him of his achievements. The Brazilian added that Hamilton deserved all the championship and race wins, as he was still the same dominant force as before.

Barichello insisted that Lewis Hamilton did not forget how to drive his car all of a sudden, as he was just going through a rough patch in Formula 1. Hamilton has already shifted his priority to the 2026 season, and he can come up as a winning force under the new regulations.

He is a super driver that deserves everything that he has conquered in the past. It is not now that he has forgotten how to drive.

Rubens Barrichello told The Mirror

Rubens Barrichello ‘absolutely sure’ of Lewis Hamilton winning in 2026

The ground-effect era is known to be difficult for many of the veteran drivers on the Formula 1 grid as they continue to face performance struggles. Lewis Hamilton has only achieved a couple of race wins since the regulations began in the 2022 season. As such, the new upcoming regulations are likely to turn out better than the current regulations for Hamilton. Even Barrichello is accepting of this possibility.

Lewis Hamilton (via Getty)
Lewis Hamilton (via Getty)

Rubens Barrichello remained optimistic about Lewis Hamilton’s chances to bounce back on the grid in terms of performance. The Brazilian asserted that he was ‘absolutely sure’ of the 40-year-old emerging as a winning force in the 2026 season. Barrichello emphasized that with less ground-effect on the cars in the coming season, he hoped for things to turn around for the seven-time champion.

I am absolutely sure Hamilton will be winning races in F1 2026. With less ground effects, let’s hope things shift.

Rubens Barrichello noted

Ferrari still needs to cover massive grounds of improvement against the rivals, especially McLaren, this year. The Italian squad has managed to hold onto its runner-up position in the constructors’ championship, courtesy of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s consistency. However, the team’s pace is nowhere near the championship-fighting pace of Woking.

The Scuderia can immediately lose its position to Mercedes, breathing right down its neck. Although Hamilton and Leclerc are trying their best to maximize the results, the team is making critical mistakes that are costing them their run on track. Hence, Ferrari must ensure such problems do not occur on race day.

Read More: McLaren Boss Calls Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri ‘Deserving’ of 2025 F1 title