Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Lewis Hamilton has urged Ferrari to improve its straight-line performance after the 2026 Australian Grand Prix highlighted an area where the Italian team is currently losing ground to its main rivals.
The opening round of the season at the Albert Park Circuit saw Mercedes secure a dominant one-two finish, with George Russell leading team-mate Kimi Antonelli across the line. Ferrari collected a podium through Charles Leclerc, while Hamilton finished just one second behind his team-mate in fourth place.
Despite the competitive result, Hamilton believes Ferrari must focus on improving its straight-line speed if it wants to consistently challenge Mercedes for victories during the early phase of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
“We just got to keep pushing, and we got to bring upgrades and keep developing,” Hamilton said.
“I know the team is working hard on it to make sure that we can compete. We got to look and see where we're losing.”
The seven-time world champion explained that Ferrari appeared competitive through the corners at Albert Park, but struggled to match Mercedes when it came to acceleration and top speed on the straights.
“It looks like we're losing in a straight because I think we're just as quick as them through corners,” Hamilton added.
“The car is good, we just need to see. They have something on straight-line speed. That’s something we need to figure out, but I have no doubts that we can do that.”
Hamilton is still searching for his first podium finish with Ferrari since joining the Maranello squad from Mercedes ahead of the 2025 season. His debut campaign with the team proved challenging as he struggled to fully adapt to the characteristics of the Ferrari car.
However, the result in Australia provided a more encouraging start to the new season, with Hamilton believing the team has the foundation required to fight closer to the front.
“A couple more laps, and I would have had Charles, so that’s positive,” he said.
“I know in the next race where we need to pick up and improve, and we could be fighting for podiums moving forward.”
As the championship moves on from Melbourne, Ferrari is expected to intensify its development programme in an effort to close the performance gap to Mercedes and strengthen its podium and victory prospects in the upcoming rounds.
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