Lewis Hamilton’s impressive recovery to the podium at Sepang has strengthened expectations that Ferrari could again be competitive at the Singapore Grand Prix, with Jolyon Palmer identifying a key characteristic of the SF-26 that may suit the next stage of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The Briton fell as low as P18 during the early part of the race in Malaysia before producing a strong comeback. His pace on the way back through the field offered further evidence that Ferrari can be particularly effective on circuits where cornering performance matters more than outright straight-line speed. The seven-time world champion has already taken his first victory for the Scuderia at the Barcelona Grand Prix this season and will now be looking to add another before the campaign ends. More coverage of his season can be found in the Lewis Hamilton Ferrari news section.
Why Singapore could suit Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari
Seven races remain on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, with Singapore next before the championship moves on to the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Analysing the upcoming races on the F1 Nation podcast, Jolyon Palmer argued that both venues could play to Hamilton’s strengths as well as those of the Ferrari package.
Palmer highlighted the British driver’s history of performing strongly at Austin and noted that some of his best drives have come on fast, flowing circuits. He also placed Barcelona alongside Silverstone and Sepang as examples of venues featuring longer-duration corners where Ferrari has performed well.
In Palmer’s assessment, the key technical contrast lies between Ferrari’s cornering performance and its straight-line speed. He explained that the car’s cornering speeds and aerodynamic platform had looked particularly strong, while the power unit deficit became much more apparent on the straights.
Sepang onboard exposed Ferrari’s unusual performance split
The difference was especially visible in a comparison between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at Sepang. Palmer described the contrast between straight-line performance and cornering speed as one of the largest he had seen for some time.
That characteristic is why he believes Singapore could represent a particularly favourable opportunity. The Marina Bay layout features the type of medium-speed and longer-duration corners in which Palmer believes Ferrari is strongest, potentially reducing the impact of the straight-line weakness that was evident in Malaysia.
The same performance balance also makes Austin an interesting prospect. With Ferrari showing strong aerodynamic performance through corners, Palmer suggested the United States Grand Prix could provide Hamilton with another opportunity to challenge near the front. The Scuderia’s speed characteristics can also be explored through the F1 Top Speed Comparison.
Lewis Hamilton has strong records in Singapore and Austin
Hamilton’s history at both upcoming venues adds another reason for optimism. He has won the Singapore Grand Prix four times, with his most recent victory at the circuit coming in 2018. In his only Singapore appearance with Ferrari, he qualified sixth and finished eighth.
Austin has been even more successful territory. The Briton is a five-time winner of the United States Grand Prix there, including a run of four consecutive victories between 2014 and 2017. He finished P4 with Ferrari last season and will now hope the team’s aerodynamic strengths can again work in his favour.
After winning in Barcelona and returning to the podium with a recovery drive at Sepang, the upcoming races provide another opportunity to assess how effectively Ferrari can exploit the areas in which the SF-26 appears strongest. Further analysis of the car’s characteristics and development is available in the Ferrari technical analysis section.
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