Hamilton praises 2026 cars, says Ferrari can catch Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion now driving for Ferrari, said he “loved” the new 2026-spec cars after the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, calling them “awesome,” “really fun to drive” and something he “personally loved.” He said the weekend was a positive confirmation that the new cars can deliver exciting racing, praised Ferrari’s cornering performance and highlighted “lots and lots of positives” to carry into the rest of the season. Hamilton also noted that drivers’ views on the new machinery can vary depending on where they were running in the race, a likely reference to criticism from rivals such as Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.

Hamilton used his post-race remarks to assess Ferrari’s competitiveness against Mercedes and expressed optimism that his team could close the gap. He said Ferrari were “right in the fight” with Mercedes and that catching them would take work but was “not impossible.” On race day Mercedes produced the quicker car — George Russell won as Mercedes completed a one-two — and Hamilton acknowledged a straight-line speed deficit for Ferrari versus the Mercedes W17 while saying the two marques were largely comparable through the corners.

Hamilton started seventh, ran as high as third and finished fourth, as close as he has been to a podium with Ferrari in 25 attempts; he told Carlo Santi “a couple more laps and I would have had Charles,” though other calculations suggested another five laps would likely have secured third. Ferrari plans upgrades to close the straight-line speed gap, and team figures defended their strategy after a virtual safety car and a pit-stop call that the team calculated cost them about 13 seconds in Melbourne.