Nigel Mansell is a huge fan of Lewis Hamilton who has "never been away"

Hamilton bounced back from a tough maiden season with Ferrari in 2025 and proved that he turned a corner by winning the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, becoming the first non-Mercedes driver to win a race this season.

Speaking over the British Grand Prix weekend, Mansell was asked about Hamilton's situation; he said: “I’ll make no apologies. I’m a huge fan of Lewis.

“Lewis is fantastic. He showed to everybody, if you give him the tools to do the job… He was impeccable in Barcelona. He didn’t just win the race – he smashed the opposition.

“His driving ability in the car, it didn’t twitch," Mansell insisted. "He drove superbly, and he drove away from [the field]. He showed everybody, including himself, what an incredible talent he is. It was a joy to watch, and I think everybody embraced the fact that Ferrari and Lewis won.”

Hamilton revealed the changes he had to make ahead of the 2026 F1 season, a new race engineer being the most visible, in order to achieve this turnaround.

Mansell commented on the matter; he said: “[Ferrari team boss] Fred Vasseur has supported him incredibly.

“He’s changed a number of things, and he feels comfortable. There’s nothing worse than saying something to an engineer or to the team, and they’re nodding, but they’re not doing anything about it. To be understood and to be listened to—then you get results.

“I think the Italian fans love him, so it’s wonderful. It just came at the right time, Barcelona. You can live on that for a good few races—the other second places as well.

"He’s not out of the championship. It’s very exciting, very exciting for Lewis," the 72-year-old maintained.

When quizzed on whether Hamilton is finally considered to have come back, Mansell responded: “He’s never been away! If you’ve got the talent, you’ve got the talent. You can’t show your talent if you haven’t got the tools to do the job." (Source: Formula 1 Official Website)