Lewis Hamilton drew wide attention in Sunday’s Formula 1 news after being compared to Michael Schumacher by Ferrari-affiliated sources. The day also brought news about a potential return of the German Grand Prix, analyses of the title fight, and questions about Oscar Piastri’s future at McLaren.
Rob Smedley, a former Ferrari engineer, stated that staff with more than two decades of work in Maranello identify similarities between Hamilton and Schumacher. According to him, the British driver has been exerting a positive influence and pushing the team “in the right way.” Hamilton arrived at the break in second place in the championship, with 169 points, after claiming his first Ferrari victory in Barcelona.
In the title fight, Kimi Antonelli was the subject of an analysis by F1MANIA.NET about his campaign. The Italian leads with 219 points, 50 ahead of Hamilton, in addition to six wins, six poles and nine podiums in the first 11 rounds. The ability to turn difficult weekends into strong results, such as finishing third in Hungary after starting seventh, appears as one of the main strengths of his season.
Ferrari has also joined the championship discussion. The team has won two of the last five races, with Hamilton in Barcelona and Charles Leclerc at Silverstone, and reduced the performance gap to Mercedes. Still, the absence of poles and the oscillations between different circuits leave open the question of whether the SF-26 will be able to sustain a title challenge throughout the second half of the year.
Fora da pista, Stefano Domenicali afirmou que a Alemanha voltou a apresentar condições interessantes para receber a Fórmula 1 no médio prazo. O CEO destacou a entrada da Audi e a presença de grandes parceiros no país como fatores favoráveis, embora tenha ressaltado que ainda não existe garantia de retorno. O GP da Alemanha não é realizado desde 2019.
In McLaren, Piastri’s future became a topic after Rob Smedley noted a difference in stance between the Australian and Lando Norris. While Norris frequently states that he would like to stay with the team for his entire career, Smedley said he did not perceive the same position from Piastri and suggested that a departure could make sense if a better option emerged.
The McLaren team itself admitted that Ferrari may arrive at the new Madrid circuit with a slight advantage in references after completing 200 km on a day of filming at the site. Andrea Stella downplayed the impact, but acknowledged that the activity allows the rival to start the weekend with some real track data, something the other teams do not yet possess.
