Lewis Hamilton commented on the 2026 Formula 1 title race and indicated that he would be willing to steer Ferrari onto a different path in pursuit of catching Mercedes.
The seven-time champion secured his first victory with the team at the Barcelona Grand Prix after overtaking the German rival. Additionally, with Kimi Antonelli’s retirement, his deficit to the Italian dropped to 41 points.
It is already known that the SF-26 has a power unit at a disadvantage compared to Mercedes, and therefore is expected to receive assistance from ADUO. But reflecting on the scenario, Hamilton is prepared to maintain a brisk development pace on the chassis and said he would speak with the engineers to suggest changes to reach the Brackley team.
“Well, honestly, given how the year started, I haven’t thought much about that. I haven’t been thinking about an eighth title. Of course we are working toward winning, but I have always understood that it takes time. Mercedes started with a car and a ruthless pace, and both drivers are doing an excellent job. We know we have that power disadvantage. There will be tracks with very long straights where that will make things even tougher,” he said.
“But we have a car with a great baseline, and if we continue to improve performance and manage to carry more speed through the corners, perhaps we can narrow that disadvantage a bit until we enhance or reduce the power gap. It is very, very difficult to think long-term at this moment. I think the secret is to approach one race at a time, one week at a time,” he added.
“I will be at the factory [before Austria]; we will carry out a detailed analysis; we will talk with the aerodynamics engineers, examining everything that is in development, when it will arrive and what effect it will have, and we will adjust the course, if necessary, in the direction I feel the car needs to follow. We will keep pushing and taking advantage. We also have to enjoy this,” he concluded.
