Lewis Hamilton has been investigating the advantage held by Mercedes in the power unit and the expectations for Ferrari heading into the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion shared his insights ahead of the Shanghai weekend.
Ferrari brings key updates to the SF-26
The SF-26 arrives in China with two significant updates. One is the well-publicized “Macarena” rear wing, already mounted on both cars. The second is a small wing featuring two deflectors at the point where the halo attaches to the front of the car, revealing another innovative update from Maranello. These micro-aerodynamic changes demonstrate an aggressive approach by Ferrari, aimed at closing the gap to Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton expressed satisfaction with how the team has been working throughout the season and emphasized that catching up will not be easy, but Ferrari is pushing hard with an intensive development program.
Hamilton: “We will focus on doing the best work possible”
“I think reducing the gap to Mercedes depends a lot on development. The pace of upgrades is quite high for everyone at the moment, so it will be interesting to see who brings improvements in the upcoming races. In qualifying, the gap appeared to be around eight-tenths, but in the race I think it was about four to five-tenths in clean air, which is a huge difference. So yes, it will be really interesting to see how development progresses. We will try to catch them, and I believe we can, but I don’t know—it won’t be certain. We’ll see; we haven’t added eight-tenths of performance to the car in four days. I think it will still be very difficult to beat Mercedes this weekend. We also have to assume that others like McLaren and Red Bull will increase their pace. We will focus solely on doing the best work possible and getting the most out of the car.”
No one expects Ferrari to be ahead of Mercedes. The Shanghai track could help the SF-26 close the gap, but it will also depend on how much more power Mercedes can extract from their engine. Qualifying may again be dominated by Mercedes, but the race could be more competitive. Fred Vasseur’s team is pushing in every way, even developing a new power unit that could debut this season. Lewis Hamilton discussed details of the super Power Unit with George Russell, jokingly teased because he knew Lewis would ask about compression ratios.
“I don’t have all the information, so I don’t know much, but of course I asked about the engine. And yes, I guess they might be more efficient, maybe able to recharge more, maybe with more crankshaft power. It seems mainly on the straights, so I think it will show everywhere on the straights. It’s most noticeable when they open Straight Mode, that’s when they take a big step forward. That’s an area we need to understand, and they also seem to have a little more power. Instead of worrying about what others have, we just need to work harder to get more from our own package. But I’m really proud of Ferrari and the guys at the factory who have done an exceptional job building the car and engine, which have proven reliable, and we will continue to develop them.”
Lewis Hamilton happy to leave ground-effect cars behind
“I think the cars are more enjoyable to drive compared to the ground-effect ones. Still, if we had another year of ground-effect, I would have been part of developing that car, and I think I would have been happier this year compared to last. Anyway, no more bouncing, which is fantastic. So it’s a combination of these things.”
Hamilton can finally say goodbye to the generation of cars he enjoyed the least and which brought him almost no results. He seems to really appreciate the 2026 F1 cars, having contributed to the SF-26’s development over 14 months with countless hours in the simulator. Ferrari has worked well so far, but the Briton stresses that more is needed to secure victories.
The technical duel between Mercedes’ “Straight Mode” efficiency and Ferrari’s aggressive aero updates is therefore the story to watch in Shanghai. Lewis Hamilton’s move to Maranello has clearly not dampened his analytical eye, as he continues to dissect the advantages of his former team while driving the Scuderia toward a more competitive future. With the SF-26 now sporting its most advanced aero kit to date, the gap to Russell and Antonelli will be the key test for the boys in red. Reliability is secure; now, the hunt for pure, unadulterated power begins. It is a long road to the front, but the seven-time champion is clearly enjoying the ride more than ever.
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