Motor Sport F1 Show with Mark Hughes

Lewis Hamilton: why he's back to his best

Motor Sport F1 Show with Mark Hughes

Show Notes

Lewis Hamilton's victory at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix marked a breakthrough for both the Briton and Ferrari, but how much of it is down to the man himself, and how much to a Formula 1 car finally built around his needs?

Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas dig into the remarkable turnaround of both Hamilton and team principal Fred Vasseur, exploring how the new regulations, bespoke brakes and a complete rethink of Ferrari's set-up philosophy have unlocked a seven-time champion who openly admits he forgot who he was last season.

With Lando Norris warning that Ferrari could "embarrass" Mercedes if they reach engine parity, is the 2026 title fight now truly on?

They also examine the messy fallout from Monaco's pitlane penalty chaos: Alpine's successful appeal has handed Pierre Gasly back his podium, but leaves Oscar Piastri and McLaren with a grievance - and George Russell's bungled stop adds another layer of injustice to an already complicated picture.

Plus, are Mercedes hiding a serious power unit reliability problem? And with a race-free weekend ahead, what does the rest of 2026 hold for Charles Leclerc, who heads to the Red Bull Ring - historically one of his happiest hunting grounds - needing a reset? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from Motor Sport F1 Show with Mark Hughes

Oct 22, 2026

Kimi Antonelli has his first chance to claim this year’s Formula 1 title in Austin this weekend and become the youngest-ever world champion in history - by some margin.

Oct 15, 2026

Why couldn't Lewis Hamilton get a clear answer to an "easy question" that could have prevented him from pursuing a disastrous strategy at the Singapore Grand Prix?

Oct 7, 2026

Max Verstappen wins in Malaysia, Red Bull's rough-track advantage, and a restart that took two hours: Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas look back on the Sepang Grand Prix and ahead to Singapore.

Oct 1, 2026

Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas discuss the latest speculation and Mark's latest column on what would happen if Horner took charge at Maranello, what level of control he would demand, and whether Ferrari's senior management is brave enough to give it to him.

Sep 24, 2026

Charles Leclerc is dynamite in Baku: he started in pole position for four years in a row and is regularly the fastest on track in the race. But he's never won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

See all episodes →