Lewis Hamilton still has the mentality and sharpness to win more Formula 1 titles. That’s the view of psychologist Dr Marcia Goddard, who has worked with several F1 teams. And even after a nightmare first season with Ferrari, and at the age of 41, she is convinced Hamilton is still on track for an eighth crown if the Scuderia can deliver a title-winning car.
She said: “People say that he lost his mojo? No – he just did not have the car under him to drive. And if you, in 2026, still say, ‘It’s just the car’, then you really don’t understand how Formula 1 works. Yes, the car plays a role, obviously. But you cannot look at Lewis or Max or any of those drivers and be like, ‘Oh, it’s just the car’. That’s ridiculous.
“So fingers crossed that they get their act together, get their culture together. His race engineer, that it works out. Because then, I do still truly believe that he has all the high-performance characteristics and skills that you need to get that eighth championship. And he deserves it.”
Hamilton‘s struggles last year led to some painful interviews when he was at his lowest, such as when he suggested Ferrari might be better off without him after one poor qualifying result. It was tough to watch for Dr Goddard, whose Trinidadian roots mean she has a soft-spot for the seven-time world champion, like many other F1 fans in Caribbean countries.
Though she is also Dutch and so also cheers on Max Verstappen. The 2021 season, in which the two fought an ever-more-fierce title duel, left her loyalties especially torn. Reflecting on Hamilton’s low points in 2025, Dr Goddard was left to wonder how much the conclusion of that season, and the way in which he was cruelly denied an eighth title, continues to affect him.
She said: “Lewis is a legend. I guess that he might have hoped that he would have found his new home with Ferrari and build it around him like he did with Mercedes and that didn’t happen. Mercedes and Ferrari are so different in how they operate and he just hasn’t been able to find his groove. And the car was very different. It was sad to see.
“I always wonder to what degree ’21 still plays a role in that, because ’21 was supposed to be his year, he felt cheated out of it.
“Then, in ’22, the [Mercedes] car was just s*** – and then you don’t have the opportunity to get the championship that you felt like you rightfully deserved. That must have weighed on him. I hope he processed that. He has looked, especially last year, a little bit down-and-out at times, and I just hope that he has a good car [again in the future]”.
Driving Performance: 10 Lessons About Building High-Performing Teams from Neuroscience and Formula 1, by Dr. Marcia Goddard, is available to pre-order here.