Lewis Hamilton reveals key Ferrari focus for remainder of F1 2026

Lewis Hamilton has stressed that Ferrari must focus on securing second place in the Constructors’ Championship in 2026 before switching full attention to next year.

Ferrari has an unassailable 142-point gap to recently crowned champions Mercedes, but with a 95-point lead over Red Bull with three races to go, the team is on course to finish as the Silver Arrows’ nearest challenger in the first year under the current rules.

Lewis Hamilton eager to cement Ferrari objective

Although the Italian marque’s prolonged title drought since 2008 is now guaranteed to extend into another season, it would still represent a marked improvement upon the side’s fortunes in the last year of the ground effect era, where it placed fourth overall.

And while work on the successor to this season’s SF-26 is ramping up behind the scenes in Maranello, Hamilton has vowed that the trackside team’s focus over the remaining rounds will be fixated on ensuring that it ends the campaign as runners-up.

When asked whether Ferrari should look totally ahead to 2027 now that both titles are out of reach, Hamilton retorted: “Well, we’ve got to work to make sure we hold on to second in the Constructors’ Championship, because that impacts everyone back in the factory.

“They really deserve that position. So we’ve got to work hard at his next races for sure.

“In the background, we get to [go to] the factory next week and then start working on where we want to go.”

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The general consensus since the campaign began is that Ferrari possesses the class-leading chassis but without the power unit to match, even since introducing two engine upgrades.

Hamilton has admitted that his chances of mounting a serious challenge for a record-breaking eighth Drivers’ title in 2027 are reliant on Ferrari unlocking more horsepower.

“I think fundamentally we’ve got a great car, and that’s down to an amazing group of people back at the factory, who are really intelligent and have made the right decisions,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 after the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

“As I’ve said before, we have been innovators this year. We’ve had things on the car that everyone else has often followed. It’s just that we know we’re down on power, and that’s something that we just live with. We have to catch up for next year.”

The Briton, who lies in fourth place, one point behind George Russell, believes Ferrari would have had a championship-contending package with a more competitive powertrain.

“I think the engine is probably number one [priority],” he reiterated in Mexico.

“We’ve got reliability, which is good. But if we were matching the power of the others, we would be fighting for the championship this year, which we know.

“So rectifying that and closing the gap is important.”

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