Lewis Hamilton has openly expressed that he feels "fired up" about the restart of the 2026 Formula One campaign, especially as Ferrari pushes to narrow the margin with championship‑leading Mercedes. After a challenging 2025 season, the Scuderia entered the new regulatory era on a more optimistic note before the sport’s mandatory April hiatus, securing a podium with Hamilton in the opening round and two further podiums for Charles Leclerc in the first three events. Now, five weeks later and on the eve of the Miami Grand Prix – the first race back after the summer break – Hamilton reflected on the early part of the year.
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." Ferrari currently sit second in the Constructors' Championship, trailing Mercedes, while their drivers occupy third and fourth places behind the Silver Arrows’ Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. The team, like most on the grid, plans to unveil a major aerodynamic and mechanical upgrade when the action resumes in Miami on Friday. In addition, Scuderia officials are hopeful that Ferrari will be granted access to the season’s first ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) window, which could allow them to introduce a fresh power‑unit package. Hamilton believes the performance gap is not limited to chassis work; he suspects that Ferrari also lags in outright power compared with both Mercedes and the new Red Bull‑Ford power unit.
When asked whether the team could close the deficit without an engine upgrade, Hamilton answered, "I think it’s a tall order. Firstly, I’m really grateful for all the hard work.
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 continued, "There is a gap between us power‑wise, compared to Mercedes and probably also the Ford unit. To close that gap we have to double the development effort each time others do, which is a really tall order.
You have to assume everyone is developing at a similar rate because it’s new 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 come after a mixed start to the season. He finished a strong fourth place just behind Leclerc in Australia, and then celebrated Ferrari finally breaking its long‑standing podium drought in China – a milestone achieved on the team’s 26th attempt.
However, the Japanese Grand Prix proved more problematic; Hamilton ended the race in sixth place after a weekend in which he identified a significant loss of power on the long straights. Post‑race analysis suggested the deficit amounted to roughly eight to nine tenths of a second per lap, a shortfall Hamilton attributed to a combination of factors rather than a single engine fault. "It’s been good for everyone to step back and analyse the first few races," Hamilton said.
"In the last race I felt 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. We’ve been working on the simulator and at the factory every week, training a huge amount, and I feel very fresh for the weekend." Looking ahead, the Miami weekend will feature a full sprint format.
The schedule includes F2 practice and qualifying sessions, team‑boss press conferences, and a sprint qualifying that determines the grid for the sprint race on Saturday. The main Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, with live coverage on Sky Sports F1 and streaming options via NOW. The event promises a packed three‑day program for fans, with additional analysis and commentary from Sky’s expert team. Beyond the immediate race weekend, Hamilton’s optimism underscores a broader narrative for Ferrari in 2026.
The team must balance rapid aerodynamic development, potential engine upgrades through the ADUO window, and the integration of driver feedback to extract maximum performance from the new regulations. Hamilton’s experience, combined with Leclerc’s youthful aggression, gives Ferrari a dual‑driver approach that could prove decisive as the season unfolds.
In summary, Hamilton is eager to get back on track, acknowledging both the challenges and the opportunities that lie ahead. He praised the dedication of the Ferrari workforce, highlighted the steep development curve required to match Mercedes and Red Bull‑Ford, and emphasized the need for relentless progress. As the Miami Grand Prix approaches, the racing world will watch closely to see whether Ferrari can translate its hard work into tangible gains on the circuit, and whether Hamilton’s renewed enthusiasm will translate into podium finishes in the weeks to come.