The F1 commentator and central figure of the Drive to Survive series dropped a reflection that’s generating noise in the paddock, as he hinted that this season could mark the beginning of the end for Lewis Hamilton after a 2025 that the Briton himself wants to erase from his memory.
The seven time world champion lived through his worst season at Ferrari last year. He didn’t manage a single podium throughout the campaign and finished 86 points behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, the largest gap the Italian team has ever recorded between two drivers in their entire history.
In three of the last four seasons, Hamilton was outperformed by his teammate, a stat that was previously unthinkable for someone of his stature.
Buxton focused on what the regulation change represented for drivers of a certain generation. According to the commentator, the previous regulations didn’t favor several drivers of that same ilk.
Names like Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez couldn’t adapt to the conditions of the ground effect cars, and that ended up affecting their careers in an irreversible way, in Ricciardo’s case, it was the final nail, while for Checo the damage was so great that he never recovered.
Hamilton arrived at Ferrari hoping that the new 2026 rules would give him back a chance to fight at the front. In preseason testing, the SF-26 showed positive signs with pace and reliability, but Buxton warns that if results don’t follow this year, the story could take a different turn.
The 41-year-old Briton needs a car that maximizes his strengths. Between 2021 and 2022, he didn’t lose his touch; the car changed, but now the question is whether this will really be the beginning of the end or if that process already started back in 2022.
The commentator argues that Hamilton wasn’t the only one eagerly awaiting this regulatory reset; Fernando Alonso also needs Aston Martin to give him a competitive car to remain in the category. Both have contracts until the end of 2026, and although the Spaniard has already said he’ll retire if he doesn’t have a car to fight for wins and podiums, he also admitted that if results don’t come, it would be hard for him to walk away.
For Hamilton, the situation could be different because Ferrari has a strong structure and a driver like Charles Leclerc who has already proven to be the reference within the team. If the team considers they can get similar performance with a younger and cheaper driver, like Oliver Bearman, they could decide to go in a different direction starting in 2027.
Buxton said it clearly: if they don’t give him a car that enhances his strengths this year, it remains to be seen whether this is the beginning of the end or if it already started four seasons ago.