Four Months Later, Elkann Remembers How to Smile

Thirty-three points. That’s what Lewis Hamilton has after two races in 2026, sitting fourth in the championship with his first Ferrari podium already secured. Four months ago, John Elkann didn’t think Hamilton was worth the paper his contract was printed on.

The Ferrari chairman emerged from corporate hiding this week for what can only be described as the most awkward photo opportunity since Helmut Marko tried to explain Red Bull’s driver development program to the UN Human Rights Council. There was Elkann, all smiles and handshakes, posing with the very driver he publicly eviscerated last November when Ferrari’s 2025 season imploded.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Hamilton’s resurgence in 2026 reads like a corporate PR department’s fever dream. After a torturous first season at Ferrari where he managed just two podiums and finished sixth in the championship, the seven-time world champion looks reborn under the new regulations. His third-place finish at the Chinese GP marked not just his first Ferrari podium, but the first time in months that Elkann hasn’t been spotted stress-eating in the Maranello cafeteria.

The transformation is remarkable. Hamilton’s 2025 season was defined by mechanical failures, strategy blunders, and a car that seemed allergic to his driving style. Fast forward to 2026, and he’s sitting just 18 points behind championship leader George Russell, his former Mercedes teammate who’s currently enjoying life at the front of the grid.

Ferrari’s internal data shows Hamilton’s confidence returning with each session. The new active aerodynamics suit his aggressive braking style, and the 50/50 power split between ICE and electrical systems has given him a new dimension to exploit. More importantly, his relationship with race engineer Riccardo Adami has finally clicked after months of stilted radio exchanges that sounded like divorce proceedings conducted in Italian.

Damage Assessment

The corporate rehabilitation tour reached peak absurdity when Elkann praised Hamilton’s “unwavering commitment to the Ferrari project” during a carefully orchestrated media appearance. This would be the same unwavering commitment that Elkann questioned so publicly that even the Italian media—hardly known for their restraint—called it excessive.

Ferrari’s PR machine has been working overtime to rewrite history. Suddenly, Elkann’s November outburst is being framed as “passionate leadership” and “high standards.” The same executives who briefed journalists about Hamilton’s supposed struggles with the car are now explaining how his experience was always going to pay dividends in year two.

Fred Vasseur, caught between his drivers and his chairman, has perfected the art of diplomatic double-speak. His recent interviews read like a masterclass in saying absolutely nothing while appearing to address everything. When pressed about Elkann’s comments, Vasseur’s response could power Maranello’s wind tunnel: “Sometimes the chairman says things in the heat of the moment. What matters is results on track.”

What Now?

The genuine tragedy in all this corporate theater is that Hamilton’s driving deserves better than boardroom politics. His charge through the field in China, managing energy deployment while hunting down Russell’s Mercedes, showcased exactly why Ferrari paid him astronomical sums to leave Mercedes. The precision, the racecraft, the ability to extract performance from machinery—it’s all still there.

Elkann’s U-turn might look embarrassing in the paddock gossip columns, but it reflects a deeper truth about modern F1: results have a way of making corporate memory remarkably selective. Hamilton’s early 2026 form has transformed him from expensive mistake to vindicated investment in the span of two race weekends.

Whether this newfound harmony survives the pressure of a championship fight remains to be seen. Ferrari has a long history of internal combustion that has nothing to do with their power units. But for now, Elkann is smiling, Hamilton is performing, and the corporate damage control department can finally take a weekend off.

The real test comes at Suzuka, where Ferrari’s 2026 package will face its first proper examination against Mercedes’ early-season dominance. If Hamilton can maintain his trajectory, Elkann’s awkward photo ops might actually start looking genuine. If not, we’ll discover just how long corporate memory really lasts in the pressure cooker of Formula 1.