Former F1 World Champion Jenson Button has backed former team mate Lewis Hamilton to get “back to his best” in the upcoming 2026 season after admitting it was tough watching his debut campaign at Ferrari.
Seven-time World Champion Hamilton made the blockbuster move to Ferrari from Mercedes for 2025 after 12 years with the Silver Arrows, ending last season without a Grand Prix podium finish for the first time in his F1 career.
Button, who won the 2009 F1 World Championship title with Brawn GP, famously teamed up with Hamilton from 2010 at McLaren with the British duo spending three seasons together as team mates, before Hamilton departed for Mercedes in 2013.
With all-new regulations coming into play for the upcoming 2026 season – offering something of a reset for Hamilton amid his debut struggles with the Scuderia – the Briton has promised fans that he is “not going anywhere” as he looks to deliver stronger results this time around, while seeking a record-breaking eighth title.
When asked about whether Hamilton could be a contender for the Drivers’ Championship this year, Button declared the he had full confidence in his former team mate.
“It was tough watching Lewis in 2025,” he told Sky Sports News. “We were team mates for three years and I understand how good he is, so it was really tough to see him struggle and you could see it in his face how much it was hurting.
“You kind of forget everything else he’s achieved in that moment of time because you just see the pain, but with the new regulation changes, we will see Lewis Hamilton back to his best.
“He’ll have an input into how the car is designed and I have confidence he’ll take it in a direction that works for him. I hope to see that because we all want to see Ferrari at the front and we all want to see Lewis fighting at the front again.”
When he left Brawn GP to join McLaren for 2010, Button was warned against teaming up with Hamilton, who was one of the sport’s biggest prospects at the time after becoming the then-youngest driver to ever win the F1 World Championship in 2008.
“I was team mates with Lewis for three years and, when I left Brawn in 2009 as a World Champion, I needed a new challenge and that challenge was to go up against Lewis Hamilton,” Button continued.
“Ross Brawn even said that I was making a mistake, so then I was in with both feet and I really enjoyed the partnership we had.
“Winning a race and beating Lewis Hamilton in the same car was almost like winning a World Championship – it didn’t happen enough but it was special. I have a lot of respect for him.”
With Hamilton heading into his 20th season as an F1 driver, Button still believes that his former team mate has a future in the sport, but added that when he feels the time is right to walk away, he will continue to be a success.
“He is still young,” Button added. “He is 41 years old and I still class that as young. I’m 46 years old and Fernando Alonso is still racing. I think it’s important for us as sportsmen to understand that there is a world outside of sport and it’s fun.
“I think as long as he has something that he wants to achieve in life outside of F1, he should jump. If he feels that it isn’t right for him anymore, go and do something else because he has the skillset and the way he works with a group of people is very positive so I think he can do something else and be very productive and successful.”
