Hamilton Optimistic About Ferrari's 2026 Championship Prospects
British driver Lewis Hamilton finished fourth in the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, trailing behind his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who secured third place. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged that Ferrari poses a significant threat following the opening race of the new Formula One season.
Hamilton expressed enthusiasm and confidence that Ferrari will be competitive with Mercedes in the 2026 world championship. The Melbourne race saw Hamilton and Leclerc make notable progress, moving up to third and fourth positions respectively after the first 12 laps, engaging in a close battle with George Russell at the front.
Despite their strong performance, neither Ferrari driver was able to contend for the race win. Mercedes capitalized on a virtual safety car period to execute a cost-effective pit stop, a strategy Ferrari opted against. Nevertheless, Ferrari demonstrated impressive pace, and Hamilton maintained that the team remains in contention to challenge the leaders.
“The team did a great job overall,” he said. “There are lots of positives to take. A couple of more laps and I would have had Charles, so I know we can be fighting for podiums. We’re not as fast as Mercedes but we’re right in the fight. We’ve got a lot of work to do to catch them but it’s not impossible.”
After a difficult debut season with Ferrari in 2025, which Hamilton described as a “nightmare” and marked by his first career year without a podium finish, he entered the new season with renewed motivation. The new regulations have produced cars more suited to his driving style. The strong start in Melbourne was encouraging, though Hamilton acknowledged the team would review their strategic decisions during the race.
“I feel great,” Hamilton said. “We got a third and fourth and ultimately Mercedes were quicker than us. We need to see if stopping would have been better. I definitely thought we should have come in or, at least one of us, to cover the Mercedes. We will look to see what we can do better.”
Mercedes had anticipated being the dominant force and maintained an advantage when running in clean air. Hamilton’s fastest 10 laps matched those of teammate Kimi Antonelli. Toto Wolff confirmed the competitive threat Ferrari presented during the race.
“It was a three-way fight at a certain stage between the two Ferraris and George, and eventually Kimi caught up,” Wolff said. “The race pace at the end was very encouraging from our side, but at the beginning, there was nothing between Ferrari and Mercedes. For me, the prevailing feeling is now we have a fight on our hands with Ferrari.”
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur shared Hamilton’s optimism about closing the gap to Mercedes.
“It’s good to have two cars fighting at the top,” Vasseur said. “We know that we have a very long list of improvements but it’s good for us. The result of the season will be based on the capacity that we have to develop, to bring upgrades, to produce quickly.
“This will be key for the season for everybody on the grid. I prefer to start the season in a good shape than in a bad shape, but it’s still a long way to go.”
Oscar Piastri's Crash and Team Response
Local favorite Oscar Piastri suffered a setback at the Australian Grand Prix when he crashed during the formation lap. Piastri was en route to the grid approximately 40 minutes before the race start when he rode over the kerb at turn four, causing his car to spin into the wall and sustain severe damage. Factors contributing to the incident included cold tyres, limited grip on the kerb, and an unexpected surge in power following a gear shift, which is characteristic of the new car dynamics.
Piastri accepted responsibility for the crash, and his team principal Andrea Stella expressed confidence in his ability to recover at the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix.
“Very unfortunate,” Stella said. “Definitely a tough moment for him in front of the Australian crowd.
“Oscar [is] very tough guy mentally. He will use all this to get even more concentrated and determined starting from China. We will make sure that we all face this in a united way. We are a team in any situation that may involve any of our team.”
The image shows George Russell and Lewis Hamilton on lap 44 of the Australian Grand Prix, highlighting the intense competition between Mercedes and Ferrari during the race.
