Components 1 loved one in every of its greatest feel-good tales of the 2026 marketing campaign final day trip on the Barcelona Grand Prix, as Lewis Hamilton lastly tasted victory for Ferrari.
The seven-time world champion took the chequered flag on his thirty first begin for the Scuderia to present Ferrari its first race win for the reason that finish of 2024, ending Mercedes’ excellent begin to 2026.
It leaves Hamilton second within the championship and 41 factors behind his Silver Arrows successor Kimi Antonelli, who retired late on in Barcelona to make the championship extensive open.
Subsequent up is Austria this weekend with the European leg of the calendar now firmly below approach, so how will the subsequent growth of this 2026 marketing campaign play out?
Listed here are 5 issues to be careful for.
Reliability issues rising at Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes
Photograph by: Alastair Staley / LAT Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
It is perhaps unusual to say, however there’s at all times been a blemish within the Mercedes dominance of the 2026 F1 marketing campaign. To start with it was race begins, as championship chief Antonelli misplaced 18 positions on lap one throughout the opening three rounds whereas team-mate George Russell dropped again 5 positions.
Tweaks have been subsequently made to the race begins process, alongside different areas of the new-for-2026 rules, and this helped the Silver Arrows to beat their poor getaways.
But as one concern went, one other one arrived: reliability. That’s particularly concerning the ability unit battery because it has prompted Russell and Antonelli to retire at Montreal and Barcelona respectively, throughout the final three rounds.
That has value the workforce roughly 43 factors and with Ferrari, particularly Hamilton, now closing in, Mercedes is aware of it wants to beat this rising reliability concern shortly. However it’s unlikely the “correct remedy”, per Mercedes on its Nu Silver Arrows Radio Present, will probably be prepared for Austria because the workforce hasn’t given a timeline for it. So one to look out for.
– Ed Hardy
Is Lewis Hamilton’s kind real?
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photograph by: Bryn Lennon / Components 1 by way of Getty Pictures
On the final three Sundays, Hamilton achieved his greatest three outcomes over his 31 grands prix at Ferrari – second in Canada and Monaco, then a win on advantage at Barcelona.
Is that this a mere sunny spell, or is Hamilton rising as a bona fide victory – and even title – contender?
The seven-time world champion has admitted to questioning if he had misplaced his mojo amid his 2025 struggles, however F1’s new equipment fits him higher. He additionally stopped utilizing Ferrari’s simulator and is adamant this significantly contributed to his upturn in kind.
One other decisive change at Ferrari was race engineer Riccardo Adami being changed with Carlo Santi, with whom Hamilton has discovered his “Italian Bono” – referring to Mercedes’ Peter Bonnington, who contributed to the Mercedes star’s overwhelming success within the 2010s.
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“The modifications that I’ve requested for and pushed for all final 12 months have been made and I now have the precise workforce round me, I now have the precise automotive round me, and now I can begin doing what I do greatest,” Hamilton stated after triumphing on the Catalan monitor.
He simply must show it on the Crimson Bull Ring, which has traditionally been amongst his much less beneficial grounds – he gained simply two out of 14 races in Styria, a 14% success charge, down from 27% throughout all circuits. In the meantime, Ferrari’s sole second of glory for the reason that monitor returned to the F1 calendar got here in 2022 with Charles Leclerc.
– Ben Vinel
The Crimson Bull Ring could not come at a greater time for Leclerc
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
Leclerc badly wants a reset because the Ferrari driver has endured a troublesome run of kind in current weeks. Since signing a brand new multi-year deal forward of the Monaco Grand Prix, little has gone his approach. Arguably, the downturn had already began earlier than then, however Monaco proved significantly painful as Leclerc crashed in each qualifying and the race at his residence occasion.
Issues didn’t enhance in Barcelona. One other qualifying accident left Leclerc admitting he felt “ashamed” of his mistake, earlier than hydraulic issues on Sunday compelled him into retirement.
In distinction, team-mate Hamilton has scarcely put a foot mistaken. Three consecutive podiums, together with victory final day trip, have at the very least moved him into the mathematical championship battle.
If there’s a venue able to serving to Leclerc flip issues round, although, it could be the Crimson Bull Ring. The Austrian circuit has historically been one in every of his strongest tracks, having began from the entrance row thrice, in addition to three podiums within the final 4 seasons there, together with victory in 2022.
With Ferrari nonetheless looking for consistency, Spielberg might symbolize Leclerc’s greatest alternative but to halt the slide and rebuild momentum.
– Federico Faturos
McLaren dropping again
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Lando Norris, McLaren
Photograph by: Simon Galloway / LAT Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
The 2025 Austrian GP was one in every of domination from McLaren as that 12 months’s world champion completed 1-2 on the Crimson Bull Ring and at the very least 17s away from the remainder of the sector. That added to a dominant begin to the marketing campaign for the Woking outfit, which picked up its eighth win in 11 grands prix…however how issues have modified 12 months on.
Though McLaren has loved a decent begin to its title defence, sitting third within the championship, current rounds have been extremely disappointing. At spherical 4 in Miami, the British marque was wanting on a par with Ferrari as the closest challenger to Mercedes however since then, upgrades have allowed the Scuderia to streak clear leaving McLaren in its personal world.
Barcelona was evident of that, as Lando Norris completed third – due to Antonelli’s late retirement – and 23.7s behind Hamilton. McLaren is due to this fact scratching its head at the way it can get again amongst the entrance with a now 49-point deficit to second-placed Ferrari.
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“Everybody again within the manufacturing facility is doing one of the best they will,” stated Norris. “Some issues take time, however we have to actually speed up the progress on the minute as a result of we wish to keep within the battle.”
It’s unlikely that McLaren will all of the sudden overturn that Barcelona deficit in Austria, however the way it tries to shut in on Mercedes and Ferrari will probably be an fascinating growth. Significantly as fourth-placed Crimson Bull is planning on bringing upgrades to its residence grand prix.
– Ed Hardy
First indicators of ADUO upgrades
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing, George Russell, Mercedes, Lando Norris, McLaren
Photograph by: Marcel van Dorst / EYE4images / NurPhoto by way of Getty Pictures
Though the numbers aren’t formally in, as Crimson Bull remains to be quibbling over the definition of what constitutes ‘essentially the most highly effective engine’ per the FIA’s findings, Ferrari has already been granted its two ADUO tokens and is free to spend them.
One is about to be traded in at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, because the workforce has reworked its steel-alloy cylinder block to theoretically run at even larger temperatures. This could enhance effectivity and confer a small enhance in energy, because the block takes on much less warmth vitality from the combustion of the air-fuel combine, thus placing that vitality into extra mechanical work. It is seemingly value round 5-10bhp, a nonetheless helpful addition to assist the workforce shut in on Mercedes.
Ferrari needs to be sturdy within the corners across the Crimson Bull Ring, and the anticipated enhance in energy ought to permit it to minimise the time loss to Mercedes on the straights.
Can Hamilton begin to construct some momentum in the direction of a championship cost, and may Leclerc convey himself again into competition after a few depressing rounds? Ferrari definitely hopes so.
– Jake Boxall-Legge
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