Lewis Hamilton has challenged himself to raise his concentration level ahead of the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix after admitting that he cannot afford to repeat his difficult Belgian GP weekend. Despite recovering to finish fourth at Spa-Francorchamps and remaining second in the Formula 1 drivers’ standings, the Ferrari driver was particularly critical of his performance on Saturday.
Hamilton’s comments came after a complicated event in Belgium, where Ferrari still secured an important result through Charles Leclerc’s second place and the seven-time world champion’s recovery to fourth. However, as detailed in our Ferrari Belgian GP review, the final classification did not fully reflect the difficulties Hamilton encountered during the weekend.
Lewis Hamilton sits second in the 2026 F1 standings
After the opening 10 Grands Prix of the 2026 season, it is fair to say that Lewis Hamilton has revitalised his Ferrari career. The British driver has returned to the top step of the podium and currently occupies second place in the drivers’ championship, 45 points behind leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Lewis Hamilton also holds a 33-point advantage over Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, a situation that would have been difficult to predict before the start of the campaign. One statistic offers a particularly clear indication of Hamilton’s resurgence: he has already scored 159 points during the first part of 2026, three more than the 156 he collected across all 24 Grands Prix of his deeply disappointing 2025 season.
Nevertheless, Charles Leclerc has been faster than Lewis Hamilton at the last two rounds, and the British driver has appeared affected by those recent performances. His Belgian Grand Prix was made more complicated by the consequences of his Saturday difficulties, as well as the missed front-wing adjustment that compromised his Spa race pace.
Lewis Hamilton demands greater focus before the Hungarian GP
Speaking to Sky Sports UK following the Belgian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton made it clear that he has no intention of relaxing despite his strong championship position. The Ferrari driver was encouraged by the team’s overall performance, but he also delivered a demanding assessment of his own weekend.
“Finishing fourth and having the pace that we generally showed as a team is really encouraging,” Lewis Hamilton said. “However, I think there is still a long way to go. I cannot afford weekends like this, considering what happened on Saturday. Therefore, next week I will have to increase my level of concentration.”
The remarks underline Lewis Hamilton’s determination to avoid another disrupted weekend when Formula 1 travels to Budapest for the final round before the summer break. The full 2026 Hungarian GP timetable and viewing details confirm that the action at the Hungaroring will run from 24 to 26 July.
The Hungarian circuit presents a very different challenge from Spa, with fewer long straights and a greater emphasis on cornering performance, balance and qualifying execution. However, Ferrari cannot simply assume that the layout will automatically favour the SF-26, as Charles Leclerc has already explained when assessing Ferrari’s prospects for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
For Lewis Hamilton, the objective is clear: build on Ferrari’s encouraging Belgian GP pace while delivering a cleaner and more consistent weekend from the opening practice session. With Andrea Kimi Antonelli extending his championship advantage after winning at Spa, the Ferrari driver cannot afford to lose further ground before Formula 1 enters its summer break.
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