Lewis Hamilton admitted that Ferrari’s Sprint pole position at Silverstone came as a surprise not only to the Formula 1 paddock, but also to himself. Ahead of the British Grand Prix weekend, the Scuderia had been expecting one of its most difficult challenges of the season because of the SF-26’s power unit deficit, yet Friday’s Sprint Qualifying told a completely different story.
The seven-time world champion revealed that pre-weekend simulations had suggested Ferrari could lose as much as six tenths of a second on the straights. Instead, the Italian team found itself fighting at the very front, allowing Lewis Hamilton to delight the home crowd by claiming Sprint pole in front of packed grandstands at Silverstone.
Ferrari’s fears never became reality
Speaking during Thursday’s FIA press conference, Lewis Hamilton had openly admitted that Silverstone looked set to be one of Ferrari’s toughest circuits of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The combination of long full-throttle sections and relatively limited energy recovery opportunities was expected to expose the remaining performance gap of Ferrari’s internal combustion engine compared to its rivals.
Those concerns appeared well founded after the Austrian Grand Prix, where Ferrari had clearly struggled in straight-line performance. Silverstone, on paper, seemed likely to magnify those weaknesses even further.
Another important variable arrived shortly before the weekend began, when the FIA reduced the maximum recoverable energy per lap from the values teams had been using in their simulations, lowering the figure to 6.5 MJ in an effort to reduce excessive super-clipping and lift-and-coast during qualifying laps.
As a result, many teams had to revise their preparation and expected a very different type of racing. Several drivers even feared that Silverstone’s famous high-speed corners would become little more than energy recovery zones rather than the spectacular flat-out sections that have defined the circuit for decades.
Instead, Lewis Hamilton discovered that the reality was far more encouraging than Ferrari had anticipated.
“I’m very, very happy. Honestly, if you heard what I said in Thursday’s press conference, you’ll know we all thought this circuit would feel completely different with these cars, but it really doesn’t. Silverstone is still an incredible track and still gives you an amazing feeling to drive. The drop in engine performance wasn’t even close to what we had expected.”
Lewis Hamilton expected Ferrari to lose six tenths
The biggest surprise for Lewis Hamilton was not simply Ferrari’s competitiveness, but how small the straight-line deficit actually proved to be.
Throughout the 2026 season, every manufacturer has experienced noticeably lower top speeds compared to the final year of the previous technical regulations, with cars reportedly losing as much as 40 km/h in certain sections of the lap because of the new power unit characteristics and energy deployment limitations.
Ferrari therefore arrived at Silverstone expecting another difficult weekend after struggling badly on the straights in Austria. Yet, instead of falling behind Mercedes and Red Bull, the Scuderia found itself fighting on equal terms in what many had expected to be Mercedes territory.
Lewis Hamilton admitted that Ferrari’s own internal predictions had painted a far more pessimistic picture.
“Yesterday they almost scared me. They kept telling me we were going to lose six tenths of a second on the straights compared to everyone else. In the previous race in Austria we were about four tenths slower on the straights, but today suddenly we were right there with them. I honestly wondered whether it was real or whether everyone else would simply turn up the power in qualifying, but we were genuinely able to fight with them.”
Ferrari appears to have mastered energy management
Already during the only free practice session, it became clear that teams were approaching Silverstone with very different energy deployment strategies. Ferrari appeared to identify the most effective solution almost immediately.
Analysis of the data suggested that Ferrari’s straight-line losses were significantly smaller than expected before the weekend began. Even more impressive was the fact that Mercedes still seemed capable of extracting additional performance from its power unit during Q3, yet Lewis Hamilton remained competitive throughout the decisive laps.
One of the most striking aspects of Ferrari’s performance came before Copse Corner, where the SF-26 achieved highly competitive top speeds despite carrying enough aerodynamic load to remain exceptionally strong through Silverstone’s fast corners.
Perhaps even more importantly, Ferrari still had electrical energy available to deploy in the following sectors before reaching the point where only the internal combustion engine provides propulsion. Before the final chicane, the SF-26 even appeared to have additional energy in reserve, allowing Lewis Hamilton to accelerate strongly before the last heavy braking zone.
A reward for Ferrari’s relentless development
After securing Sprint pole, Lewis Hamilton was quick to dedicate the achievement to both the passionate Silverstone crowd and the thousands of Ferrari employees continuing to work tirelessly at the Maranello factory.
The Scuderia introduced another small technical refinement for the British Grand Prix, this time focusing on the rear brake ducts. While far from a major upgrade package, it represented another example of Ferrari’s continuous development approach, bringing incremental improvements almost every race weekend.
Lewis Hamilton praised the team’s commitment to constantly improving the SF-26.
“I want to thank everyone back at the factory because I can never say it enough. They’re pushing incredibly hard. Last year we were a bit stuck and couldn’t really do much, but now they’re finding solutions. They’re constantly adding new parts to the car, and every weekend we’re bringing small upgrades that keep adding performance. Today the car felt fantastic.”
Confidence growing ahead of the Sprint
Beyond the encouraging engine performance, Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari has also made an important step forward in another crucial area: the overall balance of the SF-26.
Compared to the Austrian Grand Prix, the car appears to be operating within a much more favourable setup window, giving both drivers greater confidence over a single lap and during longer race simulations.
Lewis Hamilton revealed that the Ferrari also impressed him during the long runs completed in practice, strengthening his optimism ahead of Saturday’s Sprint.
“I still need to look properly at the race pace data, but during the long runs the car felt really, really good. Obviously it’s going to be a tough fight because everyone is so close, but I don’t think it’s impossible. We’re in a very good position.
“There will be a lot of slipstreaming in the opening laps, and it certainly won’t be easy to keep a Mercedes or a Red Bull-powered car behind us. But I’ll give absolutely everything for these fans.”
Ferrari’s unexpected Sprint pole has transformed the outlook for the British Grand Prix weekend. What initially looked set to be one of the Scuderia’s most challenging events has suddenly become a genuine opportunity to fight for victory, with Lewis Hamilton hoping to reward the home crowd with another memorable Silverstone performance in Ferrari colours.
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