Lewis Hamilton Puzzled by Mercedes Power Advantage in F1

Lewis Hamilton has admitted he is confused by the apparent power unit advantage held by Mercedes over Ferrari during the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix, particularly at the end of the Red Bull Ring's straights.

Hamilton was able to stay close to George Russell during the opening stint but gradually lost contact before eventually finishing fifth on a three-stop strategy. Ferrari introduced an upgraded power unit in Austria, yet it did not appear to solve the SF-26's lack of top-end speed.

According to Hamilton, Ferrari's weakness was most visible near the end of the straights, where the Mercedes-powered car continued to pull away while his own package appeared to fade.

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"For some reason at the end of the straight, ours just tails off and the Mercedes just keeps going. Mercedes for sure has the best power unit, and I don't know how the ADUO came out the other way around," Hamilton said.

The ADUO process is based on FIA evaluation of the Internal Combustion Engine only, but Hamilton questioned how Mercedes could be judged behind another manufacturer after what he experienced in Austria.

"They've got serious power at the end of the straights, far more than anybody else in Austria, so I don't know where that's coming from. Is it coming from the battery, the ICE or the smaller turbo?" he added.

Hamilton's comments underline Ferrari's technical concerns after a difficult Austrian Grand Prix. Despite starting second and third, the Scuderia was unable to sustain pressure on Mercedes due to a combination of tyre degradation, aggressive strategy and a straight-line speed deficit.

With the British Grand Prix at Silverstone next, Ferrari must quickly understand the source of that deficit. Silverstone's high-speed layout could again expose the SF-26 if Ferrari cannot reduce the gap to Mercedes in power delivery and end-of-straight efficiency.