Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Lewis Hamilton acknowledged that Ferrari must improve its straight-line performance after falling behind Mercedes during Sprint Qualifying for the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. The seven-time world champion will start the sprint race from fourth on the grid.
The Mercedes pair of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli locked out the front row, while Lando Norris placed third in the Mercedes-powered McLaren. Hamilton finished 0.641 seconds slower than Russell in SQ3 and narrowly missed third place by just 0.020 seconds to Norris.
Lap-time analysis indicated that most of the deficit occurred in the final sector of the Shanghai International Circuit, particularly along the 1.2-kilometre back straight leading into the heavy braking zone at Turn 14. Hamilton believes Ferrari’s lack of straight-line speed played a decisive role in the time lost to Mercedes.
“I’m really pleased with the session, my team did a really great job,” Hamilton said after Sprint Qualifying.
“My engineers did a fantastic job turning the car around because practice was tricky with the spin, but in sprint qualifying the car generally felt great.”
Hamilton explained that while the Ferrari package feels competitive through the corners, the deficit on the straights is significant enough to affect overall lap performance. According to the British driver, improving engine power will be a key focus for the team moving forward.
“We’re losing time on the straights, and it’s a lot of time to be losing,” Hamilton said.
“We have a lot of work to do and we really need to push hard back in Maranello to improve the power.”
Hamilton also pointed out that Mercedes appears to have gained an early advantage in development, something he believes the German manufacturer initiated earlier than Ferrari. As a result, Ferrari must accelerate its progress to close the gap to its rival.
Despite the deficit, Hamilton remains confident in the car’s performance in the corners, suggesting that if Ferrari can improve its straight-line power, it will be capable of challenging Mercedes more closely in upcoming races.
The sprint race in Shanghai will offer the first opportunity for Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari to assess their race pace and tyre management before qualifying and the main Chinese Grand Prix later in the weekend.
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