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Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari has the potential to challenge for the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship as he prepares for the Hungarian Grand Prix, the final round before the summer break.
The seven-time World Champion has found a stronger rhythm in his second campaign with the Scuderia. After a podium-less 2025, Hamilton has secured five rostrums from the opening 10 rounds this season, including his first Grand Prix victory for Ferrari at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last month.
He enters the weekend second in the Driversâ Championship with 159 points, 45 behind Mercedes rival Kimi Antonelli. The Hungaroring also represents a major opportunity: Hamilton has claimed a record nine pole positions and eight victories at the circuit.
As outlined in our preview of Hamiltonâs Hungarian Grand Prix victory target, he remains encouraged by Ferrariâs recent pace but wary of Mercedesâ benchmark performance.
âI donât want to make assumptions,â Hamilton said. âWe ultimately should have won the last two races, I think, if we perfected the weekend.â
He pointed to Silverstone, where he felt the car was capable of winning, and Spa, where Ferrari was more competitive than expected. Hamilton said he had missed something in Belgium and was determined not to repeat that mistake in Hungary.
âI think weâve got a car that can compete. Mercedes is still the car to beat, and they wonât be easy to beat this weekend, but I do think weâve made subtle progress,â he added.
Charles Leclerc has also carried momentum into Budapest after winning in Britain and finishing second in Belgium. However, the Monegasque stressed that Ferrari cannot afford to take its recent form for granted.
âWeâve done a good job in maximising our package,â Leclerc said, while acknowledging that luck and a Virtual Safety Car had helped put Ferrari in contention during the last two races.
He warned that the margins remain extremely narrow, with small errors capable of turning an expectedly strong weekend into a disastrous one. Ferrariâs priority, therefore, is preparation rather than expectation.
For Hamilton, the wider picture is clear: progress has changed Ferrariâs outlook, but the title fight still demands sustained execution. âStill a lot of work to do, still a mountain to climb in the second half of the season, but Iâm more focused than ever and really believe that we can fight,â he said.
Heâs a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.