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Lewis Hamilton

Can Lewis Hamilton win record-breaking eighth F1 title with fast-starting Ferrari?

Ferrari has a major trick up its sleeve, but can it help propel Lewis Hamilton to his record-breaking eighth world championship?

Hamilton Podium China
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To news overview © XPBimages

After the horrors of 2025, Lewis Hamilton is firmly back in the hunt in the 2026 season with the new breed of F1 car.

In China, the seven-time champion finished third in both the Sprint and the main grand prix as he finally claimed that first podium for Ferrari in his 26th race for the team. 

After his 203rd career podium, Hamilton declared that he was enjoying the new cars, which are more akin to his driving style of late braking and 'v-ing' a corner rather than the 'u-ing' which was required in the ground effects era.

Further to boost Hamilton's mood is the lightning-fast start trick Ferrari has developed, aided by its smaller turbo. 

At all three starts in 2026, a Ferrari has jumped the leading front-row pair of both Mercedes cars, with Hamilton leading in China before Kimi Antonelli muscled past on the second lap. 

But is the SF-26 package, including those uber-quick starts, enough for Hamilton to finally claim that elusive eighth title and break the record he holds with Michael Schumacher?

Let us know what you think by voting in the poll below and in the comments!

Also interesting:

Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look back on the Chinese Grand Prix. The trio discuss Lewis Hamilton's praise of the new F1 regulations and Max Verstappen's striking criticism, before debating their own views!

Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!

Explore the latest F1 results and every stat you can imagine - From Max Verstappen to Michael Schumacher and from Ayrton Senna to Lewis Hamilton — explore every stat from the first Grand Prix to the latest race.

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