Button: Why would Hamilton ever leave Ferrari?

Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula 1 world champion, has said openly that Lewis Hamilton has every reason to stay at Ferrari beyond the 2026 season. Speaking in commentary slots on Sky Sports F1 and in podcast interviews, the former Mercedes and McLaren teammate is bullish about Hamilton's Maranello arc.

Hamilton's switch to Ferrari became official at the start of 2025, and the transition was the year's most-discussed F1 storyline. The Italian marque has been chasing a world title for a generation, and Hamilton signed with a mandate to end that drought. His first season was treated as bedding-in: he worked closely with team principal Fred Vasseur on the redesign of the car for the 2026 regulations.

'This isn't a sporting or a financial decision for Lewis — it's about where his life sits,' Button told ESPN F1. 'Winning a championship at Ferrari means finishing a story that has been running since Schumacher. That motivation is something no other team can offer.'

The 2026 season may be Formula 1's biggest technical reset of the past 30 years. With a new engine formula and active-aerodynamics rules, cars are being designed from scratch; Ferrari's hand at this restart includes a seven-time world champion in Hamilton. Button drilled in on that point: 'Lewis was testing these rules with Mercedes for years before he even started this season. For Ferrari, that's an invaluable knowledge base.'

Ferrari principal Vasseur, ahead of the season, said Hamilton has brought 'energy, experience and a particular bridge between English and Italian' to the team. Hamilton's relationship with teammate Charles Leclerc is also being closely watched; both drivers have stressed at media appearances the mutual respect and the joint preparation for the new season.

Button's perspective from his own career arc lends weight to the assessment. The 2009 champion with Brawn GP, who became Hamilton's McLaren teammate in the later years, said: 'When you spend a year inside a team with Lewis, you see what kind of character he is. If he commits to a team, he buys into its philosophy. If Ferrari has won him over, I don't see him walking away easily.'

Martin Brundle, on Sky Sports F1, struck a similar note. 'Lewis's first year at Ferrari was a hard learning year. The thing you could see at Singapore and Suzuka, though, is that he was starting to rebuild the team around himself. With 2026 we should see that investment pay off.'

Hamilton's age — he turns 41 in January — does not appear to overshadow career expectations. Fernando Alonso taking pole position at Aston Martin at 44, and Max Verstappen at 28 already a three-time champion, suggest that contemporary F1 has room for 40-plus drivers. Button's assessment is in that frame: 'Age isn't a limit for Hamilton. Form, motivation and team chemistry matter more, and all three look right.'

Button also said Hamilton's pursuit of an eighth world title is genuinely achievable with Ferrari: 'Going past Schumacher's seven and doing it at Ferrari — that would be a second Schumacher era. The motivational weight of that is larger than anything another team can offer.'

Formula 1 holds the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on 8 June. Hamilton and Ferrari's 2026 preparation faces one of its sterner tests there; his commentary and performance will be judged on track. The expectation of a contract extension with Ferrari at year's end is currently rated as high — though no official announcement has been made.