Former Red Bull and Aston Martin chief engineer Dan Fellows believes significant changes in the Formula 1 driver market in the coming years will depend on Lewis Hamilton’s decision.

The seven-time world champion had a difficult first season with Ferrari, failing to reach the podium once in all 24 Grands Prix. For the first time in his career, Hamilton finished a season without finishing in the top three.

Amid these difficulties, suggestions have emerged that the Briton could retire from Formula 1 after the 2026 season.

Fellows said Hamilton would not want to stay in the championship unless he had a competitive car.

Fellows said: “I believe Hamilton is the key figure in the driver market. It is easy to compare him to Fernando Alonso; although last season was difficult for him, he is still capable of performing at a high level.” he said.

Fellowes added: “Lewis wants to be competitive. He wants a car that can win races. If he doesn’t do that, I’m not sure he wants to continue.”

Ferrari now has a young driver named Oliver Berman, who races for Haas and is considered one of the main candidates for promotion. According to Fellows, if Hamilton decides to retire early, this could start a chain reaction in the driver market.

Fellows said: “If he decides to leave, he will probably announce it in advance so Ferrari has time to prepare. This could require many changes. Berman is the obvious option, but not the only one.”

One of the most anticipated projects of the 2026 season is Aston Martin with the first car designed by Adrian Newey. In the summer of 2025, the brilliant coach joined the team and his experience in reading the rules already made itself felt.

According to sources, the project ran into difficulties: data from the wind tunnel and simulations were inaccurate, so Newey ordered the wind tunnel to be reconfigured and the software rewritten. This made it possible to identify weak points of the concept and make changes to the design of the car without disrupting the program.

Aston Martin sees the 2026 season as a transition period: In the first half of the year, work will progress in two directions: optimizing the layout and integration of the power plant, as well as improving aerodynamic efficiency, and the final configuration of the car is expected to be done by the summer holidays.

All preparations for the first half of 2026 will form the basis of the 2027 car, on which all hopes are pinned.

Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has returned to Portugal to test his GT3 car at the start of the 2026 season.

Last year the Dutch driver took to the track several times in his touring cars; in particular, he participated in the Nordschleife competition, which he won together with his teammate Chris Lulem.

Verstappen has long expressed his passion for endurance racing and plans to compete more frequently in the form of motorsport after retiring from Formula 1. He arrived in Portugal last year, just a week after failing to win another world title against Lando Norris.

The 28-year-old driver arrived at the Portuguese Grand Prix circuit Estoril, where he tested the Mercedes AMG GT3 on wet surfaces.

Let’s remember, at the end of 2025, Verstappen’s endurance racing team announced that it had signed a contract with Mercedes to participate in future competitions.

Verstappen in Mercedes’ Portimão. Images are in the foreground. #daznf1 pic.twitter.com/1NFxvED3So

— joao carlos costa (@jcccomentador) January 14, 2026