RacingNigel Mansell wants Lewis Hamilton to take Formula 1’s next record in Ferrari red, and he is not hiding it. Speaking to Sky Sports and Sky Sports News after Hamilton’s first Ferrari podium in China, the 1992 world champion said Hamilton looks revived at Ferrari and still has the tools to beat younger rivals like McLaren’s Lando Norris if the season tightens up by Silverstone.
Mansell, the 1992 Formula 1 world champion, said on a Sky Sports broadcast while analyzing the championship, “I’m going to be romantic: I’d like to see Lewis win the championship.” He then added, in the same Sky Sports broadcast, “Someone like Norris has still got so many years; he can still win a title. So come on, Lewis.” Mansell pushed the point even further, saying on that Sky Sports broadcast, “It would be something so special. You’ve already achieved so much, just finish it now.”
That support comes after a clear step forward from Hamilton at Ferrari. Mansell said to Sky Sports News after the Chinese Grand Prix that Hamilton is “fired up again” and “now reinvigorated” after finishing third in Shanghai, which ended a 16-month podium drought and gave him his first grand prix podium for Ferrari. Mansell also said to Sky Sports News in the same interview that Ferrari “has done a fabulous job over the winter,” although he added that “Mercedes are the forerunners and McLaren is going to be there too.” In other words, Mansell sees progress, but not a clear path yet.
Hamilton has explained the change in his own terms. In comments reported after Japan, Hamilton said he “prepared my mind and body better than ever.” He also said his difficult 2025 season came in “a car not really built for me and generally didn't suit my driving style,” because it was “an evolution of the previous year's car.” Hamilton said Ferrari could not fit some of the parts he wanted in 2025 because “it was too expensive, like suspension, to build within the budget cap.” For the current car, though, Hamilton said Ferrari adopted “a couple things I asked for,” and added that “Charles and I tested them and we both love it.”
That is the part Mansell seems to be buying into. He told Sky Sports News that Hamilton is back in “top form,” and he tied Ferrari’s stronger start to the work done over the winter. Hamilton’s pace relative to Charles Leclerc has also looked much healthier this season than it did during his first year with the team, according to the source material from those interviews.
Mansell also thinks the picture could close up as Formula 1 and the FIA adjust the rules. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said, “I think when they tweak the regulations and by the time we get to Silverstone, it'll be very close.” He added, in the same Sky Sports interview, “I'm hoping for an epic race” with “six or seven drivers that can win.”
That helps explain why Mansell is already looking at Hamilton’s home race as a real chance. Asked about the prospect of a 10th British Grand Prix win, Mansell told Sky Sports News it was “Odds on.” He then said in that Sky Sports News interview, “Lewis has had a brilliant career and it's fantastic what he's doing,” and argued that if Hamilton gets the machinery, he still has everything needed to win again. Mansell’s view is simple enough: Hamilton looks refreshed, Ferrari has moved forward, and an eighth title is still there to chase.