Hamilton flags Ferrari tire weakness ahead of Baku
NXTbets Pro | Published On: September 23, 2026
Hamilton’s cleaner weekends
Lewis Hamilton wants the rest of Ferrari’s season to look cleaner. He said that is his priority now, along with helping the team get the most from its package as the campaign moves into its final stretch. Hamilton framed the task in practical terms. Ferrari needs sharper execution from one weekend to the next.
That message fits the position Ferrari is in. Hamilton said the team’s immediate aim is to protect second place in the constructors’ championship. He also sees room to pressure Mercedes in that race, which keeps the battle from being limited to one target. Hamilton said Ferrari can still judge its season a huge achievement if it finishes in the top three in the Drivers’ Championship. That is the level he is chasing as the calendar winds down.
Hamilton is third in the standings, five points ahead of Lando Norris and 20 points behind Mercedes driver George Russell. He is more than 100 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Those numbers leave little room for mistakes, and Hamilton said the solution is simple. Ferrari has to cut out the missed opportunities and turn more of its weekends into complete ones.
Ferrari’s tire weakness
Hamilton also pointed to a problem he believes Ferrari must solve. He said the team has a seldom-spoken-of weakness in its 2026 Formula 1 package, and he believes tire performance is part of the answer. Better tire management, he said, could unlock significant performance for Ferrari. That makes the issue less about isolated laps and more about how the car handles across a stint and across a full race weekend.
Charles Leclerc identified another clear area that needs work. He said Ferrari’s main weakness is qualifying, which leaves the team trying to recover after Saturday. That kind of gap can shape the rest of the weekend and put extra pressure on the race pace to make up ground. Ferrari’s recent form has shown both the promise and the limits of the car. Hamilton said the team has made progress despite the latest results, and he backed that up by pointing to the wins and podiums Ferrari has already banked this season.
He cited his victory at the Spanish Grand Prix and Leclerc’s win at Silverstone as proof the team has moved forward. Ferrari has not been on the podium since the Belgian Grand Prix, after winning in Barcelona. That run tells the story of a team that can still hit the front on the right day but has not yet put together the consistency it wants. Hamilton’s view is that the pieces are there, as long as Ferrari keeps improving the areas that decide whether a good car becomes a front-running one.
Baku and the standings
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix gives Ferrari another chance to measure where it stands, and Hamilton was clear about the challenge ahead. He said Baku’s long straights are unlikely to suit Ferrari because the team has lacked power all season and did not get the hoped-for benefit from its Monza engine upgrade. That puts a premium on the details, from setup to tire control to the way Ferrari manages the race as it unfolds. Hamilton said he reviewed the team’s recent races with engineers before heading to Baku so they could identify mistakes or missed opportunities and avoid repeating them.
He also urged critics to focus on the positives after the recent setbacks. That fits the tone he has taken throughout the discussion. Hamilton is not presenting Ferrari as finished or out of reach. He is pointing to progress, but he is also naming the weaknesses that still hold the team back. Ferrari’s chassis has been competitive on some circuits, which gives the team something to build on. The next step is to make that strength show up more often, even on tracks that are less natural fits.
Hamilton’s message is direct. Ferrari has made gains, but it still needs better weekends, better tire performance and a cleaner execution plan if it wants to finish the year where it believes it can. The standings show the margins are tight near the top, and the next races will test whether Ferrari can turn flashes of speed into a stronger closing stretch.
