The 2026 Formula 1 season provides Lewis Hamilton with the "perfect opportunity to turn it around" at Ferrari, according to his former team-mate Jenson Button.

Hamilton made a blockbuster switch from Mercedes to Ferrari for the 2025 season, but his first year in red was hugely underwhelming as the seven-time world champion went a full campaign without a grand prix podium for the first time in his career.

However, the introduction of drastic new regulations for the 2026 season offers hope that Ferrari could provide Hamilton and his team-mate Charles Leclerc with a far more competitive car than the one that left the team fourth in last year's Constructors' Championship.

Hamilton spoke throughout his first year at Ferrari about his attempts to influence the design of their 2026 car, and Button believes how successful he was with that mission will play a key role in dictating what happens when the new season begins next month with the Australian Grand Prix.

"It's more about whether he has been able to have an impact on the car itself, that's the thing," said 2009 world champion and Sky Sports F1 pundit Button, who drove alongside Hamilton at McLaren from 2010-2012.

"Jumping into another team against someone that's been there for years is always difficult, but now he's had time with the team, built good relationships, and is hopefully having a lot of input in the direction of the car and how it feels.

"It's an important year for him. If it doesn't work this year, I don't know if it is going to work again. This is the perfect opportunity for him to turn it around.

"But also, for Ferrari. It's not been a great few years for them either, so it would be nice to see them fighting for wins again."

Button was speaking before the first of F1's two official pre-season testing events taking place in Bahrain, the first of which last week saw Ferrari deliver a highly impressive showing.

While lap times at testing must always be viewed cautiously given teams could be holding back performance, Ferrari's combination of speed and reliability was undoubtedly impressive ahead of the final three-day test, which begins on Wednesday.

The race simulation Hamilton did on the final day of the first event impressed McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, who compared it to the efforts of his own driver Oscar Piastri and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli during the same session.

Stella said: "I can confirm that the race pace of Ferrari looks pretty competitive. In the simulation that Hamilton did today, and then there was, at the same time, one from Antonelli and one from Oscar.

"I think Antonelli and Hamilton were quicker than us today in the race simulation, when you look at the times. And still, I would say that yesterday Charles' one was quite competitive and at the same level as today's simulations.

"At the same time, I just invite everyone to just be careful looking too much into what we see in testing.

"However, early indications from a competitiveness point of view, I think, definitely put Ferrari and Mercedes at the top of the list, in terms of those that seem to be ready from a performance point of view, in particular. I can't comment on reliability, this one we will see."

There was potentially further encouragement for Hamilton to take from his race run in that it was understood to be faster than Leclerc's, albeit in more favourable conditions with the track having further evolved.

Sky Sports F1's Ted Kravitz said: "With the upgrade package that they brough to day two in Bahrain - new front wing, new floor, new diffuser - Ferrari have ended on race simulations, with Charles Leclerc on Thursday and Lewis Hamilton on Friday, they are quickest on a race simulation, they completed the Bahrain Grand Prix quicker than anybody else.

"Lewis' race run was quicker than Charles', but it was on a more rubbered in track, albeit at the same time of day."

Test Two: Wednesday 18th, Thursday 19th, Friday 20th February

• 6.50am-11.05am: Morning session Live
• 11.55am-4.10pm: Afternoon session Live
• 8pm: Testing Wrap

Watch every race of the 2026 F1 season live on Sky Sports, starting with the Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime