Despite Lewis Hamilton’s return to the front with Ferrari, Juan Pablo Montoya doubts he will ever win an eighth world title.
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Lewis Hamilton has regained form in 2026. After a particularly difficult first season with Ferrari, the Briton has perfectly adapted to the new generation of single-seaters and now occupies second place in the world championship.
At 41 years old, the seven-time world champion has one victory this season, achieved at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, as well as four other podiums. These performances allow him to remain mathematically in the title race as he is 50 points behind Kimi Antonelli with 316 points still to be awarded.
This resurgence has convinced several observers that Hamilton could still go for this elusive eighth crown since 2021. However, Juan Pablo Montoya is much less optimistic.
Montoya no longer believes in the eighth title
Hamilton joined Ferrari in 2025 after several titleless seasons with Mercedes. However, his first campaign at Maranello raised questions about his future as he finished a season without standing on the podium even once for the first time in his Formula 1 career.
The change in technical regulations seems to have completely revived the Briton. Third in China at the start of the season, he then followed up with convincing results before securing his first victory under Ferrari colors in Spain.
Despite this spectacular progress, Montoya does not think Hamilton will add another world crown to his record.
“I don’t think he will be world champion again”, says the former Williams and McLaren driver.
The Colombian nevertheless considers that Hamilton’s current performances reflect the progress made at Maranello.
“His performances show that he is on the right track. They also show that Ferrari is on the right track and that they are doing an incredible job.”
Ferrari impresses Montoya
Beyond Hamilton’s regained speed, Montoya also highlights how Ferrari now approaches its race weekends. Long criticized for some of its decisions, the Scuderia seems to have gained control.
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“They are really smart in the way they work and in their strategies. It’s really nice to see”, continues the Colombian.
This evolution, combined with Hamilton’s return to form, has also changed Montoya’s opinion regarding the length of the Briton’s career. While he had previously imagined a possible retirement at the end of the 2026 season, he now believes the Ferrari driver could stay several more years in Formula 1.
“Hamilton will not leave before at least two or three years. If Ferrari continues like this and Hamilton maintains this level of performance, he will not retire.”
A prospect that could, however, cause a real bottleneck within the Ferrari pipeline.
What future for Bearman and Câmara?
If Hamilton extends his career by several seasons, the question of succession will inevitably arise for the young drivers supported by Ferrari.
Oliver Bearman naturally appears as one of the main candidates. Currently at Haas, the Briton remains closely linked to the Scuderia and could hope to eventually take one of the two seats of the Italian team.
But Montoya believes time could work against him. The Colombian notably cites Rafael Câmara, another young talent from the Ferrari pipeline, currently competing in Formula 2.
“If Câmara arrived in Formula 1 and Ferrari considered him more interesting at that time, then Bearman might never come back. It’s a shame, but it’s all a matter of timing.”
“It all depends on your attractiveness and how people perceive you at that precise moment.”
Hamilton’s return to the forefront is therefore excellent news for Ferrari in the short term but could complicate the career plans of its young drivers. As for this much-coveted eighth world crown, Montoya remains skeptical, even though the Briton still has a real mathematical chance to catch up with Antonelli during the second half of the season.