Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he must "step it up" for the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix after a weekend at Spa-Francorchamps that left him frustrated and wary of repeating past mistakes. The seven‑time world champion reflected on the Belgian race, where a crash at the end of the final practice session forced his team to replace a host of components before qualifying.
Although he managed to finish fourth on Sunday, Hamilton believes that without the incident he could have been in contention for the win. The crash at Spa not only disrupted his rhythm but also handed an advantage to Ferrari, whose driver Charles Leclerc qualified ahead of Hamilton for the second consecutive race. Leclerc capitalised on a well‑timed Virtual Safety Car, gaining valuable track position and ultimately crossing the line just two seconds behind race winner Kimi Antonelli, who currently leads the championship.
Ferrari’s strong showing on high‑speed circuits such as Silverstone—where Leclerc secured victory—and now at Spa has analysts predicting that the Scuderia will be especially potent at the Hungaroring, a circuit that rewards cornering grip more than outright top‑speed. When Sky Sports F1 asked Hamilton whether he felt confident about building momentum for the remainder of the season, the Briton responded positively but acknowledged the setbacks. "This weekend was a bit unfortunate and Silverstone [was] again," he said, referring to the challenges his team faced at both venues.
He praised the progress his engineers have made, noting that the car’s performance is improving steadily. "It's really great to see the performance that we are bringing and we are improving the car constantly. I think we have got more stuff coming in the pipeline to try and close that gap down," Hamilton added.
He also highlighted the morale boost that comes from seeing the team’s pace rise. "But to be here and have that pace generally that we did as a team is really encouraging," he explained.
Yet, Hamilton tempered his optimism with realism, acknowledging that there is still a long way to go. "There's still a long, long way to go," he said, before emphasizing the need for heightened focus. "Can't afford weekends like this in a sense of my performance [on Saturday] so I'm going to step it up in terms of focus level for next week." Despite slipping off the podium for only the second time in six races, Hamilton’s result at Spa was enough to move him back ahead of teammate George Russell into second place in the Drivers' Championship.
The two former teammates collided on the opening lap, prompting a five‑second penalty for Hamilton after the stewards reviewed the incident. He now sits 45 points behind Antonelli, who leads the standings. Hamilton’s record at the Hungaroring is impressive: he has claimed eight victories there, the most by any driver in the event’s history, and it was also the venue of his most recent pole position in 2023.
This pedigree adds an extra layer of expectation as he prepares for the race in Budapest. The weekend also underscored Ferrari’s resurgence.
Leclerc, who had struggled to adapt his driving style to the new 2026 regulations, finally appears to be finding his footing. After a difficult spell marked by inconsistent results, the Monegasque driver has shown signs of a breakthrough, though he remains cautious about declaring a full turnaround. "I'm confident in saying that I made a step forward.
Whether I'm at the level where I want to perform, not yet," Leclerc admitted. He explained that there are still aspects of the car that limit his natural driving style, slowing him in certain sections of a race.
"There are still things in the car that I need to drive around. I cannot drive completely naturally, and that is slowing me down in some parts of the race," he said. Leclerc emphasized a methodical approach, taking each race one at a time because the new generation cars are highly sensitive to minute details. "I'll continue with the one‑race‑at‑a‑time approach because, with these cars, it's very difficult to be confident that if one race weekend goes well, the other one will, because it relies on such small details," he explained.
He also noted the frustration of not being able to replicate a perfect lap consistently, a challenge that both drivers and engineers continue to grapple with. As the Formula 1 calendar heads to Budapest, all sessions for the Hungarian Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 starting this Friday.
Fans can stream the coverage via NOW, with the flexibility of cancel‑anytime subscriptions. The race promises to be a crucial test for both Mercedes and Ferrari as they battle for supremacy on a track that rewards precision, cornering speed, and strategic acumen. In summary, Hamilton’s message is clear: he must elevate his focus and performance to avoid costly mistakes like the Spa practice crash, while Ferrari looks to capitalize on its recent momentum. The Hungaroring will provide a pivotal platform for both teams to demonstrate whether their recent improvements are sustainable over the long haul of the 2026 season.