Lewis Hamilton returns to the Hungaroring in a dramatically different position from the one he faced 12 months ago. Ferrari enters the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix with an important opportunity to complete a strong first half of the season, having established itself as the most credible challenger to Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes.
The situation is particularly significant for Lewis Hamilton, who currently sits second in the Drivers’ Championship as Kimi Antonelli’s closest challenger. Over the course of a year, the British driver has gone from a deep crisis that raised doubts about the continuation of his Ferrari adventure to a revival in which he has removed the zeros from his pole position and victory records with the Maranello team.
Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari recovery and special Hungaroring connection
The Budapest circuit has produced some of the greatest moments of Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 career. The seven-time world champion has claimed nine pole positions and eight victories at the Hungaroring, giving him a record that continues to raise Ferrari’s hopes before the latest race in Hungary. His remarkable history at the circuit has also strengthened expectations that he could fight for another victory for Ferrari in Budapest.
“I honestly don’t know why it has gone so well for me, but it is a circuit that requires late braking and a lot of trail-braking towards the apexes,” Lewis Hamilton explained. “For a Formula 1 car, it is also almost like driving a kart, with most of the corners being at medium and low speed. I don’t know why it has gone so well, but I really love this track, and I think the more you love a circuit, the better you perform.”
Those medium- and low-speed characteristics could also be important for Ferrari. The layout appears more compatible with the areas in which the SF-26 has previously performed well, although the team remains cautious about assuming that its low-speed cornering strength will guarantee an advantage.
Despite that special connection with the Hungaroring, or perhaps partly because of the expectations created by his record, Lewis Hamilton reached the lowest point of his first Ferrari season at the same venue last year. After qualifying only 12th while Charles Leclerc secured pole position, Lewis Hamilton suggested that “maybe Ferrari should change driver”.
One year later, the picture has changed completely. Lewis Hamilton arrives in Budapest second in the championship and with far greater confidence in both himself and Ferrari.
“I’m definitely proud of everyone in the team, and also of myself for pulling myself out of where I was,” Lewis Hamilton said. “One day, when I make my documentary, I’ll tell you everything about that weekend and what led up to it.
“But I come here with very different feelings compared with last year, and I’m really grateful for what we have developed as a team. The pieces of the puzzle that I have been moving are coming together, and now we come here with a great car and a very strong overall package that we can fight with.”
Lewis Hamilton sees progress in Ferrari’s recent race pace
Ferrari’s recent performances have confirmed clear progress in terms of race pace, even though several incidents and set-up decisions have prevented Lewis Hamilton from converting the full potential of the SF-26 into stronger results.
“The objective every weekend is to try to extract the maximum,” Lewis Hamilton explained. “We had a couple of excellent weekends. We arrived at Silverstone and started strongly, but then a step in the wrong direction moved us away from the fight for victory.
“The same thing happened last week, and that shows how things can sometimes go in this sport. But I’m grateful for the consistency and for the points we have scored.”
Lewis Hamilton believes the underlying performance was more encouraging than the final results suggested. Ferrari has been closer to Mercedes at circuits where the Maranello team originally expected to struggle, reinforcing the belief that its development programme is heading in the right direction.
“In terms of pure pace, the leaders were not that far away,” the seven-time world champion continued. “Normally, Kimi Antonelli is so fast that he disappears up the road, whereas over the past few weekends we were much closer than we thought we would be.
“Going to two circuits where we thought we would be a long way behind and being so close shows that we are moving in the right direction.”
That progress makes Budapest an important opportunity for Ferrari, although the available performance indicators still point towards a close Ferrari-Mercedes contest at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Why Ferrari still considers Mercedes the team to beat
The Hungaroring is widely regarded as a promising circuit for the SF-26, but Lewis Hamilton has supported Ferrari’s cautious approach. The team does not want to assume that Budapest will suit its car, particularly after Mercedes demonstrated strong low-speed performance in Monaco.
“At Ferrari, we believe Mercedes is still the team to beat,” Lewis Hamilton said. “They have won almost every race and they are fast in both the high-speed and low-speed sections, having also been the quickest in Monaco.
“You have to expect that they could be the fastest again this weekend. Our car is not enormously different from the one we had in Monaco. There are subtle, small things, but the car is similar.”
Lewis Hamilton’s comments underline the same warning that has accompanied Ferrari to Budapest: the characteristics of the Hungaroring may offer reasons for confidence, but the team cannot consider a strong result inevitable. Ferrari therefore arrives in Hungary with optimism tempered by the knowledge that Mercedes remains a formidable benchmark.
Lewis Hamilton focuses on individual races rather than the championship
When assessing his first half of the 2026 season, Lewis Hamilton made it clear that he is not yet concentrating on the wider championship picture. Despite occupying second place in the standings, his attention remains fixed on extracting the maximum possible result from each individual weekend.
“I’m not thinking about the second half of the season or the championship,” Lewis Hamilton said. “I’m only thinking about this weekend, taking it one race at a time and trying to understand how to maximise every weekend. I’m not thinking about the next 10 races.
“For the first part of the season, the rating would be slightly above average. I don’t feel that I have had to make more adaptations than in any other era of cars.”
How the 2026 F1 cars have changed power management
Lewis Hamilton also discussed the complexity of driving the new-generation Formula 1 cars and the greater importance of managing power delivery under the 2026 regulations. Although the cars are lighter and more forgiving in some areas, the interaction between the driver, accelerator and power unit requires constant adjustment throughout a lap.
“There isn’t just one thing,” Lewis Hamilton explained. “I can drive it differently to be fast, and I can drive it a little more like the previous generation of cars.
“Today’s cars are a little easier, more forgiving and lighter. Applying the power requires a lot of work, and setting it up together with the engineers is another element that has to be managed.
“Whereas before it was only about driveability, today driveability concerns the point at which the power is delivered, and you are changing that continuously. Understanding that you can have an effect by holding the accelerator at 50 per cent or reducing the throttle by 10 per cent changes the delivery over the course of the lap. Understanding that aspect is even more crucial than it was in the past.”
Hungarian GP organisers could name a corner after Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton concluded by responding to reports that the Hungarian Grand Prix organisers are considering naming one of the Hungaroring’s corners after him in recognition of his extraordinary record in Budapest.
“I’ve heard that it is going to happen, but it isn’t something I have ever thought about,” Lewis Hamilton said. “I’m grateful to Budapest and Hungary for hosting the Grand Prix and for the support I have received throughout all these years.
“It is nice to think that I will be part of the history here beyond the time I have spent at this circuit.”
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