Lewis Hamilton Urges Ferrari to Unlock More Pace

Lewis Hamilton has urged Ferrari to unlock more performance from the SF-26 ahead of FP3 and qualifying after a difficult opening day at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix.

Arriving at Spielberg fresh from his maiden Ferrari victory in Barcelona, Hamilton finished fifth in both FP1 and FP2. Ending the day more than six-tenths of a second behind the fastest time highlighted the work still required before qualifying.

The seven-time world champion said the car felt encouraging from the outset, but stressed that the Red Bull Ring's demanding layout punishes even the smallest balance issues, making it difficult to extract a competitive lap.

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"I'd say it was a solid but challenging start to the weekend, with the high temperatures making an already demanding circuit even tougher. The car felt quite positive straight out of the box, but this track is pretty unforgiving, so even a small balance issue costs you a lot of lap time," said Hamilton.

Hamilton believes Ferrari's priority is to improve the car's balance overnight while identifying exactly where time is being lost. He expects the team's overnight analysis to be crucial before the final practice session and qualifying.

The Briton has enjoyed an increasingly competitive run since joining Ferrari, following his podium in China with two runner-up finishes and victory in Barcelona. He now hopes the Scuderia can unlock additional pace from the SF-26 to maintain that momentum in Austria.