Ferrari approaches the summer break in second place in the constructors’ championship, 72 points behind Mercedes, while Lewis Hamilton is second in the drivers’ standings, 50 points behind Kimi Antonelli.
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While the German team holds the technical benchmark with eight wins in eleven races, the Scuderia’s reliability has allowed it to stay in contention.
Ferrari still believes in its chances of winning the constructors’ title and is counting on a significant engine upgrade planned for September to continue its climb.
Reduced gaps
Lewis Hamilton believes the progress made by the SF-26 since the start of the season is considerable. After qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Briton praised the work done by the Maranello engineers, who have continuously brought new parts and improved the car. Ferrari was about eight tenths behind Mercedes during the first qualifying session of the season in Australia, a gap now reduced to about three tenths on average.
“I think the car is performant in all areas. The team has done an outstanding job and I am very grateful to everyone who continues to work at the factory to push development and bring new parts every weekend”, Hamilton emphasized.
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“We continuously innovate and evolve the car. It’s night and day compared to last year’s car, and I am grateful to have contributed to bringing this car to this level and to have participated in its development, to the point where we can fight at the front for wins. But the gaps between the top teams are extremely small and, in the end, you have to be perfect to take first place”, he added.
Vasseur’s support
Upon joining Ferrari, Hamilton reportedly conducted a thorough audit of the team’s operations and submitted several detailed reports containing his recommendations.
While some of his ideas initially met internal resistance, many were eventually implemented. The team principal, Frédéric Vasseur, reportedly responded positively to the Briton’s persistent requests regarding certain technical changes.
Vasseur even acknowledged that Hamilton was behind several major choices that guided the design of the SF-26, proof of his influence on the overall philosophy of the project. Conversely, Charles Leclerc seemed less comfortable with this new car at the start of the season, although the Monegasque gradually caught up to his teammate after finding better setup solutions starting from the British Grand Prix.
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