Paddock Briefing: Hamilton’s Ferrari future questioned, Wolff reopens old wounds, and Ford circles 2026
Lewis Hamilton rolled into Mexico City with a nod to his roots — that familiar bright yellow lid back on his head — but the bigger color around Maranello right now is red flag. A fresh round of paddock chatter suggests Ferrari may not put a new deal on the table when Hamilton’s current contract runs its course. It’s a rumor, but it’s gathered enough momentum to make people sit up.
Hamilton’s first campaign in red has been grim by his standards. The seven-time world champion, now 40 and paired with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari in 2025, still hasn’t stood on a podium this season. The results haven’t matched the hype of his blockbuster move from Mercedes, and that’s fueled the usual speculation machine about what Ferrari wants post-2025 and whether it’s prepared to double down on a long-term Hamilton project or pivot. For now, neither Ferrari nor Hamilton is entertaining the noise publicly, but it’s not going away.
Elsewhere, Toto Wolff poured salt back into Formula 1’s most stubborn wound. The Mercedes boss revisited Abu Dhabi 2021 and didn’t mince words about then–race director Michael Masi, using language that leaves little ambiguity over how Mercedes still views that night. Hamilton was on course for a record eighth title before the late Safety Car chaos and procedural errors flipped the outcome and handed Max Verstappen his first championship. Masi moved on from the FIA in the aftermath; Verstappen, of course, racked up four straight titles through 2024. Time has done little to soften feelings in Brackley.
That infamous evening surfaced in another corner of the paddock too. Former Red Bull mechanic Calum Nicholas recalled the “look of disdain” from Damon Hill as Red Bull celebrated Verstappen’s maiden crown in Yas Marina. Hill, the 1996 world champion, has long been critical of Verstappen’s elbows-out approach and left his Sky F1 punditry role at the end of 2024. The sport keeps moving, but the fault lines from 2021 still crackle through conversations like static.
Looking forward rather than back, circle January 15, 2026 on the calendar. Ford is set to stage a U.S.-based season launch, with both Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls expected to show the flag. The Detroit giant returns as a technical partner to Red Bull under the new 2026 regulations, working with Red Bull Powertrains as the hybrid era takes its next big step. Expect plenty of Americana, plenty of noise, and no shortage of confidence about the horsepower and software marriage that’ll underpin the project.
And a little off-track money talk to close. Fresh accounts filed in the UK hint at a sizeable bump in Lance Stroll’s compensation stream. Golden Eagle Racing Ltd — the entity that houses the Aston Martin driver’s racing activities — received roughly $12.3 million for 2024, up from $5.6m the year prior. That doesn’t paint a complete salary picture — motorsport contracts are a maze of performance triggers, image rights, and bonuses — but the direction of travel is obvious. It’s an uptick commensurate with a team that’s invested heavily in personnel, facilities, and its own expectations.
Back to the big story: Hamilton’s future. The easy headline is that Ferrari’s thinking twice; the harder truth is that 2025’s car hasn’t given him much to work with, and Hamilton’s driving hasn’t wrung miracles out of it either. It wouldn’t be the first time a top team let a legend’s deal quietly run its course while it weighed a younger, longer-term bet. It also wouldn’t be the first time Ferrari kept its powder dry, rode out the storm, and renewed when the dust settled.
What’s clear is the stakes. Ferrari’s next move will shape the team’s 2026 reset under the new rules as much as any wind tunnel run. Hamilton still commands a garage, a fanbase, and a wealth of development nous — assets that matter even when the podiums don’t come. But F1 is a now business. And right now, the Scuderia’s calculus looks more complicated than it did the day the signatures dried.
We’ll see whether that yellow helmet is a splash of nostalgia … or a hint that the future might be brighter elsewhere.
