Lewis Hamilton: “Having Leclerc alongside me will help us put pressure on Mercedes”. Lewis Hamilton outlines Ferrari's two-car strategy for the Austrian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari can still take the fight to Mercedes in Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix, with strategy likely to play a decisive role. After a remarkable turnaround from Friday’s difficult practice sessions, the Scuderia locked out second and third on the starting grid, giving Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton a genuine opportunity to work together against the Silver Arrows.

Two Ferraris in the top three

Following a challenging Friday at the Red Bull Ring, Ferrari managed to completely transform its weekend by delivering an impressive qualifying performance. Charles Leclerc secured second place on the grid and will start from the front row, while Lewis Hamilton qualified third to lead the second row.

Both Ferrari drivers expressed satisfaction with the result and praised the team’s hard work in turning the weekend around. After spending much of Friday searching for the right setup, the engineers succeeded in finding a much more competitive balance for the SF-26 when it mattered most.

Lewis Hamilton calls for a two-pronged attack

Lewis Hamilton suggested that Ferrari could challenge Mercedes if the team executes the perfect race strategy. Speaking during the post-qualifying press conference, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion explained how having both Ferraris near the front could become an important tactical advantage.

“It will be very difficult to challenge them, but with the long straight leading into Turn 3, hopefully we can do it together with Charles. Having him up here is fantastic because we’ll be able to work together on a strategy to try and put them under pressure.”

Even so, Lewis Hamilton remained realistic about the challenge awaiting Ferrari on Sunday.

“The Mercedes guys have been six tenths quicker than us for most of the weekend. We managed to reduce the gap by three tenths overnight, but we’re still three tenths behind.”

Despite acknowledging Mercedes’ pace advantage, Ferrari heads into the Austrian Grand Prix with renewed confidence after its overnight improvements. Starting with both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton inside the top three gives the Scuderia valuable strategic options, and if they can remain close to George Russell during the opening laps, Ferrari may still have an opportunity to put the race leaders under pressure.