Lewis Hamilton has revealed that Ferrari will use the final five races of the 2026 Formula 1 season as important tests for its 2027 car, with the seven-time world champion determined to ensure the strongest elements of the current SF-26 chassis are carried forward. Although the immediate objective remains securing second place in the Constructors’ Championship, the British driver believes the remaining Grands Prix will also play an important role in preparing Ferrari for next season.
Speaking ahead of the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton expressed his appreciation for the work completed at Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters, which allowed the team to introduce significant upgrades to its current car. The developments have helped improve the Scuderia’s competitiveness, providing an encouraging foundation for the next stage of its technical programme.
Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari’s final five races will be tests for the 2027 car
Lewis Hamilton arrives in Mexico following a fourth-place finish at the United States Grand Prix, a result that moved him to within just one point of George Russell in the Drivers’ Championship standings as the two battle for second place.
Ferrari also has an important objective in the Constructors’ Championship, where the team is aiming to maintain second position. However, the British driver believes the remaining races must serve a broader purpose than simply delivering strong results in 2026.
Reflecting on the team’s recent development work, Lewis Hamilton said: “I’m very grateful for the work done at Maranello, which made it possible to introduce these important upgrades.”
The improvements provide Ferrari with an opportunity to understand which aspects of the SF-26 should form part of its next Formula 1 challenger. The Italian team has already demonstrated encouraging progress with its latest development package, particularly during the United States Grand Prix, where the SF-26 upgrades delivered improved race performance.
Ferrari must preserve the SF-26’s chassis strengths for 2027
For Lewis Hamilton, one of the central priorities is ensuring that the chassis characteristics currently working well on the SF-26 are retained when Ferrari develops its 2027 car. The seven-time world champion sees the final five races as an opportunity to assess those qualities while continuing to pursue the team’s championship objectives.
“Obviously, the objective in this final part of the season is to maintain second place in the Constructors’ Championship, but these five races will be tests with a view to 2027,” Lewis Hamilton explained.
“We need to make sure that, from a chassis perspective, we carry over what works on the SF-26 to next year’s car, confident that we’ll finally have a power unit capable of matching Mercedes and Red Bull. I expect a very close battle with them this weekend.”
His comments underline the importance of Ferrari’s current chassis development programme. Rather than treating the final races solely as opportunities to improve its championship position, the team intends to use them to establish which successful characteristics can contribute to its 2027 design.
That process follows encouraging developments at Austin, although the Mexican Grand Prix presents another demanding test for Ferrari’s updated SF-26. The remaining races should therefore provide valuable opportunities to evaluate the car under different competitive conditions.
Lewis Hamilton looks towards a stronger Ferrari power unit in 2027
Alongside the chassis, Lewis Hamilton identified power-unit performance as another important factor in Ferrari’s preparations for next season. The British driver expressed confidence that the team could finally have an engine package capable of competing with those of Mercedes and Red Bull in 2027.
His remarks reflect the distinction between the improvements Ferrari has achieved with the SF-26 and the performance it still hopes to unlock through its next power unit. While the current upgrades have strengthened the car’s competitiveness, Lewis Hamilton believes progress on the engine side will also be essential.
Ferrari’s performance relative to its main competitors remains an important measure of that development. The team’s results against Mercedes and Red Bull across the season can also be examined through the Ferrari versus Formula 1 rivals statistics, which compare championship performance, qualifying results and race pace.
Ferrari expects a close battle with Mercedes and Red Bull in Mexico
Despite the longer-term focus on 2027, Lewis Hamilton is expecting a closely contested Mexican Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver believes the Scuderia will face intense competition from Mercedes and Red Bull as it attempts to build on the improvements introduced during the United States Grand Prix weekend.
The immediate championship situation adds further significance to the race. With just one point separating Lewis Hamilton from George Russell in the fight for second in the Drivers’ standings, another strong result could be particularly valuable for the seven-time world champion.
For Ferrari, the final five races consequently have two connected objectives: protecting second place in the Constructors’ Championship and using the experience gained with the SF-26 to strengthen the development of its 2027 car. Lewis Hamilton’s message is that the work completed at Maranello has provided important progress, but the lessons learned during the remaining Grands Prix could be just as significant for the team’s future.
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