Lewis Hamilton is approaching the midway point of his first year as a Ferrari driver. This weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, round 11 out of 24, brings his first six months with the team to an end.

There’s no escaping the reality that it’s been difficult so far. Hamilton arrives in Austria sixth in the championship, having averaged less than eight points per weekend.

The expectation was that he may struggle against Charles Leclerc, regarded by some as the best qualifier in F1, on a Saturday, but then pull it back during the race.

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If anything, he’s been closer to his teammate over a single lap. Hamilton trails the qualifying head-to-head by a respectable 8-4 margin (including Sprints), but is 8-2 down in the races where both are classified.

Hamilton is facing the longest podium drought of his career if he can’t break into the top three on Sunday. It would be his 13th race without spraying the champagne.

Charles Leclerc agrees with George Russell – Lewis Hamilton is the GOAT

Hamilton also struggled during his final year at Mercedes, slipping outside the top six in the championship for the first time after consistently losing out to George Russell.

But he commands unique respect within the F1 paddock as the sport’s most successful driver ever. He’s level with Michael Schumacher on seven titles but leads the way for race wins (105 vs 91).

Russell said last year, as quoted by the sport’s official website, that Hamilton is the greatest driver of all time. And Leclerc has now echoed that opinion after his first 10 races alongside the 40-year-old.

When the Ferrari duo appeared in the Austrian Grand Prix fan zone, they were asked to play a game of ‘guess the driver’. Hamilton’s cue card said Ayrton Senna, so the clue he gave to Leclerc was ‘greatest driver of all time’.

Leclerc replied, ‘Yourself?’, which drew a laugh from Hamilton and cheers from the crowd.

Lewis Hamilton receives fresh hope at Ferrari as early 2026 data emerges

Hamilton is dreaming of winning an unprecedented eighth title at Ferrari. On current form – and this is true for driver and team – that looks unlikely.

However, one former Mercedes colleague says Hamilton comes alive when his car can win. His vintage performance in the China Sprint race earlier this year may support that claim.

If he only needs the machinery, then he’ll be encouraged to hear that Ferrari are doing a ‘really good job’ with their 2026 car. The pecking order is steeped in uncertainty ahead of the rule changes.

At 41, Hamilton would be the oldest champion since Juan Manuel Fangio back in 1957.