Usain Bolt tells Lewis Hamilton why it will be ‘a challenge’ to win an F1 title for Ferrari

Usain Bolt has “no doubt” that Lewis Hamilton is still the greatest F1 driver of all time, but the Olympic legend does not expect to see the Briton win a title with Ferrari soon.

Hamilton is the most successful F1 driver of all time with a joint-record seven titles, plus the outright records for the most Grand Prix wins (105), pole positions (104) and podiums (202). But he last won a title in 2020, scored a win and a podium in 2024 and took a pole in 2023.

The 2025 F1 season even marked the first time in Hamilton’s career that he failed to score a single Grand Prix podium in a season, in what was his first campaign with Ferrari. Hamilton joined Ferrari in 2025 after deciding to quit Mercedes after winless years in 2022 and 2023.

Usain Bolt fears it could take Lewis Hamilton two more years to be ‘completely comfortable’ at Ferrari

By the end of 2025, Hamilton even admitted that his first year as a Ferrari driver had been a “nightmare”, as he struggled to adapt to their car after 12 years with Mercedes. The Briton even called it his “worst season ever”, as it kept “getting worse” despite everything he tried.

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Eight-time Olympic gold medallist Bolt is excited to see how Hamilton bounces back in 2026, as F1 introduces its biggest regulatory overhaul to date. Yet he admits it could take Hamilton one or two more years to win a title for Ferrari, as it will take time to get comfortable there.

Bolt told RacingNews365: “I believe it’s going to be quite a challenge for Lewis. I know what it’s like to fight your way back to the top. That’s not without its ups and downs.

“So, I don’t think it will be easy for him. He’ll need another year or two to feel completely comfortable at Ferrari… I’m really looking forward to the next few years. I’m sure he’ll make his mark again.”

Usain Bolt has ‘no doubt’ that Lewis Hamilton is still the GOAT in F1

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur admitted that he and the Scuderia “underestimated” the challenge Hamilton would face working with the first non-English team of his F1 career after moving to Italy last season. He really struggled to adapt to Ferrari’s different way of working.

Hamilton gave Ferrari documents throughout last year citing the areas he believed the team should change, having compared their methods with how Mercedes operated during his run in Brackley that produced six of his seven titles, 84 wins, 78 pole positions and 153 podiums.

But despite Hamilton enduring the worst year of his F1 career, which began back in 2007, in his first year with Ferrari, Bolt has no doubts whatsoever that the Stevenage-born star is still the greatest driver in F1 history. Bolt also has total confidence that Hamilton will win again.

“Absolutely, I’m sure of that, no doubt about it,” Bolt added. “I’m already looking forward to him standing on the top step of the podium again because like I said, he knows what it’s like to get there, and he knows how to stay there.”