Lewis Hamilton has publicly told himself that he must "step it up" ahead of the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix, after a weekend at Spa-Francorchamps that left him frustrated and wary of repeating the mistakes that cost him dearly in Belgium. The seven‑time world champion admitted that he "can't afford" another incident like the crash that disrupted his Spa weekend, especially as Ferrari continues to show strong form on high‑speed circuits. At Spa‑Francorchamps last Sunday, Hamilton managed to finish fourth, but he believes that a win was within his grasp had it not been for a crash at the end of the final practice session on Saturday. The accident forced the Mercedes team to replace a large number of components on his car before qualifying, hampering his ability to extract maximum performance.
While Hamilton was grappling with the fallout, his teammate Charles Leclerc once again out‑qualified and out‑finished him, marking the second consecutive race where the Monegasque driver took the upper hand. Leclerc benefitted from a well‑timed Virtual Safety Car, which gave him a brief window of extra race time, and he ultimately crossed the line just two seconds behind race winner Kimi Antonelli, who currently leads the championship.
The Italian driver’s strong showing, combined with Ferrari’s unexpected competitiveness on fast tracks such as Silverstone—where Leclerc claimed victory—and now Spa, has analysts predicting that the Scuderia could be particularly potent at the Hungaroring. That circuit, with its tight, twisty layout, tends to highlight a car’s cornering abilities, an area where Ferrari appears to have an edge over Mercedes at the moment.
When Sky Sports F1 asked Hamilton whether he felt confident about building momentum for the remainder of the season, the Briton responded with cautious optimism: "I think so. This weekend was a bit unfortunate and Silverstone [was] again.
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. But to be here and have that pace generally that we did as a team is really encouraging. There's still a long, long way to go." He went on to stress 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." Hamilton's remarks underline his determination to avoid another costly mistake and to sharpen his mental preparation for the challenges that lie ahead.
Despite falling off the podium for only the second time in six races, Hamilton’s result at Spa propelled him back into second place in the Drivers' Championship, overtaking his former teammate George Russell after a first‑lap incident that saw Russell spin out. Hamilton received a five‑second penalty for the clash, but the points he salvaged left him 45 points behind championship leader Antonelli. Historically, Hungary has been a favorable venue for Hamilton. He holds a record eight victories at the Hungaroring, and the circuit was also the site of his most recent Grand Prix pole position in 2023.
Those past successes give him confidence that a strong performance is achievable, provided he can avoid the sort of mishaps that plagued his Spa weekend. The races at Silverstone and Spa have also marked a resurgence for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. After a period of difficulty adapting his driving style to the new 2026 regulations, Leclerc has begun to find a rhythm, delivering consistent results and climbing the standings. While he remains cautious about proclaiming a full breakthrough, he acknowledges noticeable progress: "I'm confident in saying that I made a step forward.
Whether I'm at the level where I want to perform, not yet. 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." Leclerc emphasized that the new generation of cars demands a meticulous, race‑by‑race approach. "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.
With what you do with your driving, it's never a given that you get the same deployment from one lap to the other, and that's maybe the frustrating bit about these cars," he explained. As Formula 1 heads to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix, all sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 starting this Friday.
Fans can stream the coverage via NOW, with the flexibility of a no‑contract subscription that can be cancelled at any time. The upcoming race will be a crucial test for both Mercedes and Ferrari, as they seek to capitalize on their respective strengths—Mercedes aiming to regain lost ground through improved focus and incremental car upgrades, and Ferrari hoping to exploit the Hungaroring’s corner‑heavy layout to extend their recent momentum. For Hamilton, the message is clear: sharpen the mind, fine‑tune the machine, and seize every opportunity to close the points gap.
For Leclerc, the goal is to translate the incremental gains he’s feeling into tangible results on a track that rewards precision and agility. The stage is set in Budapest, and the battle for the championship will intensify as the two rivals push their limits in pursuit of victory.