Lewis Hamilton has rejected suggestions that Ferrari’s smaller turbocharger could provide an advantage at the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, insisting that Mercedes and Red Bull remain faster at the end of the straights. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion believes the Scuderia is still losing more than two to three tenths of a second, despite finding an encouraging balance with the SF-26 during Friday practice.
Hamilton’s comments followed a frustrating second practice session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, where a technical problem forced him to stop his Ferrari before completing his planned programme. Nevertheless, the British driver was determined to highlight the positive aspects of the day, particularly the improvements made to the car’s setup and its potential ahead of qualifying.
Lewis Hamilton explains Ferrari’s Mexico FP2 problem and promising car balance
Although Lewis Hamilton finished FP2 in 11th position, the result did not undermine his confidence in Ferrari’s performance. The changes made to the SF-26 appeared to have moved the setup and balance in the right direction, providing an encouraging foundation for the remainder of the Mexican Grand Prix weekend.
The technical failure that interrupted his running remained an unresolved concern, but Hamilton explained that he had received an instruction to stop the car after noticing something unusual.
“I don’t know what happened to the car. I was told to stop. I had noticed some sort of problem. Up until that point, though, the feeling was really good. The car was performing very well. I think we did a good job.”
The British driver was particularly satisfied with the adjustments Ferrari had made, suggesting that the car was responding positively before the interruption: “We made some good setup changes. The car was in a good window. My engine was competitive.”
However, the problem had already affected his performance during the flying lap immediately before the stoppage. Hamilton explained that he had experienced a loss of power at different points around the circuit, resulting in a substantial loss of lap time: “Even during my lap, though, we were losing power in certain places. I think I’d already lost three tenths earlier, and then I lost another six.”
Despite those difficulties, the Ferrari driver did not want the incident to overshadow the progress made with the car throughout Friday.
“I don’t want to take away from the fact that we have a good car this weekend. It’s a shame to have lost the session.”
The interruption was particularly unfortunate given the technical challenges facing Ferrari after its encouraging Austin developments. The Maranello team had arrived in Mexico hoping to build on its recent progress while adapting the SF-26 to the unusual conditions at the circuit.
Lewis Hamilton dismisses Ferrari turbo advantage at Mexico GP
Before Friday’s running, some rival drivers had suggested that Ferrari could emerge as a leading contender, or even a favourite, at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez because of the smaller turbocharger fitted to its power units.
However, Lewis Hamilton firmly disagreed with that interpretation. In his assessment, the turbocharger configuration had not eliminated the straight-line performance disadvantage Ferrari had experienced relative to Mercedes and Red Bull throughout the season: “Actually, I don’t really agree with the turbo argument. If you look at the speeds of Mercedes and Red Bull, they’re still faster than us at the end of the straights, just as they are at every race.”
The seven-time world champion went further, suggesting that the supposed benefit was not translating into a meaningful performance improvement for the SF-26: “The turbo makes no difference. They still have much more push at the end of the straights. I think we’re still losing a good two or three tenths.”
His assessment challenges the idea that Ferrari’s turbocharger characteristics would automatically provide a competitive advantage in Mexico City’s high-altitude conditions. While the unusual environment can influence power unit performance, Hamilton believes the established straight-line hierarchy remains largely unchanged.
The subject is particularly relevant given Ferrari’s previously observed straight-line speed deficit against Mercedes at Austin. However, recorded maximum speeds alone cannot establish the precise contribution of engine output, aerodynamic configuration or energy deployment.
Readers can explore the Formula 1 top-speed comparison data to examine recorded straight-line performance across different Grand Prix weekends.
Despite the continuing disadvantage identified by Hamilton, he remained pleased with how the Ferrari handled during practice: “But the car behaves well. Our car is working pretty well, at least as far as the system is concerned.”
Ferrari could fight for Mexico GP qualifying despite uncertainty over rivals
Looking ahead to qualifying and Sunday’s race, Lewis Hamilton was reluctant to make firm predictions. Nevertheless, his comments suggested that Ferrari had enough underlying performance to compete near the front, provided the team could find further improvements and avoid a repeat of Friday’s technical difficulties.
The British driver expressed confidence in the car’s potential while acknowledging that his interrupted session had prevented him from establishing its ultimate performance.
“I think we have a good car. I wouldn’t want to get ahead of myself, but obviously Charles will be there in second free practice.”
Lewis Hamilton was also cautious about the pace that the opposition might unlock during qualifying. He noted that rival teams appeared capable of finding another level of performance when the sessions became more competitive.
“I don’t know how qualifying will go. The others seem able to take another step forward. But obviously I have the feeling that we could be close enough to fight with them.”
His uncertainty was partly explained by the incomplete running in FP2. Having been unable to finish his planned laps, the Ferrari driver had less information about his car’s ultimate performance and the adjustments required for Saturday: “I don’t know how the car will behave. As for my laps, I wasn’t able to complete them. So I can only take note of how the others performed and try to understand where we need to make changes. For example, with the settings and the braking. It’s a difficult decision to make.”
The remaining preparation would therefore involve deciding which setup changes could provide additional performance without compromising the positive balance already achieved.
Lewis Hamilton reiterated that the SF-26 appeared capable of being competitive in qualifying, although he remained uncertain about the improvements other teams might produce.
“I think the car has the potential to be competitive in qualifying. But again, as I said, I don’t know what the others do during qualifying. Everyone seems able to take another step forward. I don’t know. Hopefully, we can find a little more performance tomorrow.”
Ferrari faces a crucial Saturday after mixed Mexico GP Friday
For Ferrari, Friday offered encouragement alongside a reminder of the challenges that remain. Lewis Hamilton was satisfied with the changes made to his SF-26 and believes the car can compete, but the technical problem that ended his second practice session prevented him from completing the work needed to fully evaluate its performance.
The persistent straight-line disadvantage identified by the British driver also suggests that the expected benefits of Ferrari’s smaller turbocharger have not fundamentally changed his assessment of the team’s position relative to Mercedes and Red Bull.
Nevertheless, the improved setup and balance provide grounds for optimism. The Scuderia must now determine how much additional performance it can extract during the remaining practice and qualifying sessions, while assessing the cause of Hamilton’s stoppage.
The central question heading into Saturday is whether Ferrari can translate its encouraging Friday handling into a competitive qualifying performance, despite the technical uncertainty and the straight-line deficit that Hamilton believes remains unresolved.
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