Hamilton chasing, Leclerc lost: is Ferrari’s dream already over?
It was exciting, even if only for a brief moment, to believe that Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari could genuinely challenge Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes for the Formula 1 World Championship. But just two weeks after the Scuderia’s triumph at Barcelona with the seven-time World Champion, reality has come crashing back.
Amid the green hills surrounding the Red Bull Ring, Mercedes completely dominated the Austrian Grand Prix. George Russell returned to winning form with an outstanding performance, Kimi Antonelli remained relentlessly competitive throughout the weekend, and this time Max Verstappen emerged as the main challenger behind the Silver Arrows.
For Ferrari, however, there was little to celebrate. The rival power units proved significantly stronger on Spielberg’s long full-throttle sections, while the SF-26 suffered from considerably higher tyre degradation than its direct competitors. It was an alarming step backwards compared to the performance shown in Spain, made even more disappointing by the fact that Ferrari had introduced an upgraded power unit for the Austrian Grand Prix.
If Austria is any indication of Ferrari’s current form, it is difficult to imagine Lewis Hamilton mounting a serious challenge next weekend at Silverstone, one of Formula 1’s most demanding high-speed circuits. Nor does it seem realistic to expect a sudden turnaround from Charles Leclerc, who appears to be going through one of the most difficult periods of his Ferrari career.
At the moment, the championship once again looks like an all-Mercedes affair between Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, with the young Italian now leading the standings by 40 points over his teammate.
Mercedes’ dominance this season is no coincidence. The Brackley-based team has claimed every pole position so far this year and has won seven of the opening eight Grands Prix, underlining its superiority over the rest of the field.
The only real concern for Team Principal Toto Wolff remains the reliability of Mercedes’ power unit after a series of technical failures. However, the FIA’s decision to allow further development of the power unit could prove crucial in solving those reliability issues as the season progresses.
For Kimi Antonelli, the main focus should remain much closer to home. The young Mercedes driver has every reason to regret the mistakes that limited his Austrian Grand Prix result, from his qualifying error to an overly aggressive start that ultimately prevented him from finishing higher than third.
His biggest rival remains George Russell, and if Antonelli wants to strengthen his championship lead, the objective is clear: keep his teammate behind him. The perfect opportunity to do exactly that could arrive as early as next weekend at Silverstone.
