Lewis Hamilton requests Ferrari investigation after ‘weird’ Austrian GP observation

Lewis Hamilton has called on Ferrari to investigate how to fix an alarming deployment trend compared to Mercedes.

Hamilton’s request comes after Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli claimed that Ferrari were deploying “weirdly” at the Austrian Grand Prix, to the extent that he “almost crashed” into Charles Leclerc.

Lewis Hamilton fears Ferrari deployment no quick fix

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Ferrari was sandwiched between the two Mercedes cars on the Austrian Grand Prix grid; George Russell launched from pole, Leclerc alongside him on the front row.

Behind, Hamilton lined up third with Antonelli for company on row two.

While Mercedes went on to claim victory via Russell – Antonelli joining him on the podium – Hamilton and Leclerc finished fifth and eighth respectively.

Ferrari’s struggles with tyre degradation were clear in Austria. But, it would seem that this was not the Scuderia’s only issue.

Hamilton says he has noticed that Ferrari’s energy deployment “tails off” while Mercedes’ does not, which Hamilton wants addressing.

Speaking in the cooldown room after the race, as Russell raised the topic of Ferrari’s pace, Antonelli came in with: “They were so slow. They were deploying so weirdly.

“I almost crashed with Leclerc into Turn 1 on Lap 2, because of the speed difference.

“I was like probably 30 kph up.”

Hamilton has highlighted Ferrari’s straight-line speed deficit throughout the 2026 season and was singing from the same hymn sheet following the Austrian GP.

“On Friday we were down six tenths just in straight-line speed,” he told Sky F1.

“I have to go and see what the case was today, but I’m sure it was not insignificant.

“But also just grip wise we just couldn’t keep up with everyone today.”

Hamilton claims that Ferrari is losing deployment, while the Mercedes W17 can “keep going” down the straights.

The seven-time world champion urged Ferrari to find a fix, but warns it will not be a quick one.

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“We’re going to have to push really, really hard to see when we can get the next power upgrade,” said Hamilton.

“When you’re around these guys, it’s deployment, but it doesn’t necessarily feel so much as power, because when you come out of the corner, it feels like you’ve got the grunt, but it’s just deployment at the end.

“Ours tails off, and particularly Mercedes, they just keep going.

“So we’ve got to look at why and how we can improve that. But that’s not going to come for a while.”

Ferrari’s issue is not a straightforward lack of power but a more subtle and more damaging loss of deployment efficiency, an area that tends to be deeply embedded in the energy management architecture.

If the deficit is indeed rooted in deployment rather than outright ICE performance, it points to a problem that cannot be solved with a simple engine upgrade or short-term calibration change.

Instead, it would likely require a more fundamental rework of how energy is harvested, stored and released across different phases of the lap.

That would likely take multiple upgrade cycles to resolve, not weeks, hence Hamilton’s caution.

While Ferrari can expect incremental gains through the season, matching Mercedes’ apparent ability to sustain deployment down the straights is not something that can be closed quickly.

With the British Grand Prix next, attention will inevitably shift to whether Ferrari can respond on a power-sensitive circuit where deployment gaps will be far more visible.

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