Lewis Hamilton has openly expressed his excitement about the restart of the 2026 Formula 1 campaign, saying he feels "fired up" as the sport returns after the mandatory April hiatus. The British champion’s comments come at a time when Ferrari, eager to narrow the gap to the championship‑leading Mercedes, are hoping to make a strong push in the early stages of the new season. Ferrari entered the 2026 year with a promising start, securing a podium finish with Hamilton in the opening race and two further podiums for Charles Leclerc in the next two events.
Those results suggested the Scuderia might be finding its footing under the new technical regulations before the enforced break forced the calendar to pause. Now, five weeks later, Hamilton spoke ahead of the Miami Grand Prix – the first race back on the schedule – and offered a candid assessment of the team's mindset.
He said, "Everyone’s had a chance to go over what happened in the first three races. Everyone’s had more of an intense time to work on refining the car.
I just feel fired up for the second stab at it." His remarks underline the blend of reflection and optimism that the team is trying to maintain. At the moment, Ferrari sit second in the Constructors’ Championship, trailing Mercedes, while Leclerc and Hamilton occupy third and fourth places respectively in the drivers’ standings, behind Mercedes’ young talent Kimi Antonelli and veteran George Russell. Both teams are expected to introduce a substantial aerodynamic and mechanical upgrade when the cars hit the streets of Miami on Friday, part of an ongoing development race aimed at erasing the performance deficit to the Silver Arrows.
In addition to the on‑track upgrades, Ferrari are also hoping to secure engine development allowances in the season’s first ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) window. ADUO slots allow teams to receive extra power‑unit upgrades beyond the standard allocation, a factor that could prove decisive given Hamilton’s observation that the Scuderia appears to be lacking in outright power compared to both Mercedes and the new Red Bull‑Ford power unit. When asked whether Ferrari could close the gap without an engine upgrade, Hamilton admitted the challenge is "a tall order." He praised the hard work being done at the factory during the break, noting, "I’ve been back at the factory every week during this break and seeing how hard the team has been working on bringing an upgrade.
It’s an immense amount of work that goes into building these components, and the quality they achieve is incredible. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone back at the factory for that." He went on to explain the magnitude of the development challenge: "There is a gap between us power‑wise, compared to Mercedes and probably the Ford unit as well. To close that gap we have to do double the development each time others do, which is a really tall order. You have to assume everyone is developing at a similar rate because it’s a new set of rules, so if a team brings a tenth, we need to bring two.
If they bring two, we need to bring three or four. That’s a lot. I think we just have to keep pushing and at some stage be able to close the gap on the engine side." Hamilton’s comments reflect the broader reality of the 2026 season: the new regulations have leveled the playing field, but they have also intensified the engineering arms race.
Teams are forced to extract performance from every aerodynamic surface, suspension geometry, and power‑unit component, while staying within strict cost caps and homologation limits. The British driver’s recent race results illustrate the mixed fortunes the team has experienced so far. After a solid fourth‑place finish behind Leclerc in Australia, Ferrari finally broke their podium drought in China, with Leclerc securing the team’s first podium of the year on his 26th attempt. Hamilton, however, struggled at the Japanese Grand Prix, finishing only sixth after a weekend that exposed a significant power deficit on the long straights at Suzuka.
Post‑race analysis revealed that the car was losing roughly eight to nine tenths of a second per lap due to a combination of factors, not solely the engine. Hamilton explained, "In the last race I felt that I was down on power.
We did a deep dive and it wasn’t the engine alone, but the whole system – several things coming together to lose us eight to nine tenths on straight‑line power." He added that the team has been working intensively on the simulator and in the factory each week, saying, "We’ve been training a huge amount and I feel very fresh for the weekend." This relentless development schedule underscores the importance of the upcoming Miami sprint weekend, where teams will have another opportunity to test their upgrades under race conditions. The Miami event itself is packed with action: a practice session on Friday, a sprint race on Saturday, and the main Grand Prix on Sunday, all complemented by a full slate of support series, including Formula 2 practice, sprint, and feature races. The schedule also features press conferences, qualifying build‑up shows, and post‑race analysis segments, ensuring fans have continuous coverage throughout the weekend. For viewers, Sky Sports will broadcast every session live, with streaming available via the NOW platform.
The network has also promoted additional content such as “Ted’s Sprint Notebook” and “Ted’s Qualifying Notebook,” providing expert insights into strategy, tyre management, and car performance. In summary, Hamilton’s enthusiasm signals a renewed determination within Ferrari to challenge Mercedes and Red Bull on both chassis and power‑unit performance.
The team’s upcoming upgrades, potential ADUO engine allowances, and the intense development work already underway suggest that the second half of the season could see a tighter battle for championship supremacy. As the Miami Grand Prix approaches, all eyes will be on how quickly Ferrari can translate their off‑track effort into on‑track speed, and whether Hamilton’s “fired up” attitude will translate into podium finishes and perhaps a fight for the title.