Lewis Hamilton says he is “eager” for the restart of the 2026 Formula 1 season as Ferrari looks to close the gap with championship leaders Mercedes.
After a disastrous 2025 season, Ferrari started F1’s new rules era on a more promising note before the forced April break, with one podium for Hamilton and two for Charles Leclerc in the opening three races of the year.
Five weeks later, ahead of the sport’s resumption at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, Hamilton said: “Everyone had a chance to reflect on what happened in the first three races.
“Everyone has been working harder than ever to improve the car.
“Please brace yourself for the second attack.”
Ferrari restarted the season in second place behind Mercedes in the constructors’ championship, with Leclerc and Hamilton third and fourth in the drivers’ standings behind the Silver Arrows’ Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
As work continues to close the gap to Mercedes, the Scuderia, like most teams, will debut significant vehicle upgrades when circuit practice begins in Miami on Friday, but it is also looking forward to joining the teams that will be given the opportunity to upgrade their engines in the impending first ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunity) slot of the season.
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Nigel Mansell says Hamilton is ‘eager’ to win at Silverstone, George Russell needs to empower Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli
Hamilton believes that not only is the power down compared to Mercedes, but so is probably Red Bull Ford’s new power unit.
Asked if he thought it would be possible to close the gap at the front without upgrading the engine, Hamilton said: “I think that’s a tall order.
“First of all, we really appreciate everyone’s hard work. I’ve been back to the factory every week over the holidays and I’ve seen how hard our teams work to bring us the upgrades. There’s a tremendous amount of work that goes into building these components, and the quality is just as high. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who came back to the factory for that.”
“I think there is a gap between us in terms of power compared to Merc and maybe Ford.
“Closing that gap means we have to develop twice as much as other companies every time, which is a tall order.
“This is a new rule, so we have to assume that everyone is growing at a similar pace. So if a team brings a tenth, we need to bring two. If they bring two, we need to bring three or four.”
“That’s a big thing. I think we need to keep pushing at some stage to close the gap on the engine side.”
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Hamilton and Kim Kardashian gained attention on social media after posting this Tokyo Drift style video. Credit: 13thwitness and lewishamilton
Hamilton reveals the problem that jeopardized the Japanese Grand Prix
After a strong fourth place behind Leclerc in Australia, breaking the long-awaited Ferrari podium on his 26th attempt with the team in China, Hamilton experienced a more difficult Japanese Grand Prix weekend, ultimately finishing sixth.
However, he revealed that his analysis in the days following the Suzuka race had pointed out an issue with the car, where it had “80-90%” of power left on the straights.
“I think it was good for everyone to take a step back and look back and analyze the first few races,” he added.
“In the last race I felt like I was losing power. I looked into it thoroughly and it wasn’t the engine that was the culprit, it was the whole system. A combination of factors caused me to lose eight or nine in straight line power.”
“On top of that, we’ve been working on the simulator and factory every week. We’ve been doing a huge amount of training and are feeling very fresh heading into the weekend.”
Sky Sports F1 Miami GP Schedule
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The Miami Grand Prix is a unique experience. Check out some of our favorite moments from the past few years.
Friday, May 1st
2:35pm: F2 practice
4:30pm: Miami GP Practice 1 (session starts at 5pm)*
7:25pm: F2 Qualifying
8:10pm: Team boss press conference
8:40pm: Miami GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts at 9:30pm)
Saturday, May 2nd
2:55pm: F2 Sprint
4pm: Miami GP sprint build-up
5pm: Miami GP Sprint
6:30pm: Ted’s Sprint Notebook
8pm: Miami GP qualifying build-up*
9pm: Miami GP Qualifying*
11pm: Ted’s Qualification Notes*
Sunday, May 3rd
5:25pm: F2 Feature Race
7pm: Miami GP Build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
9pm: Miami Grand Prix*
11pm: Miami Grand Prix reaction: Checkered flag*
12am: Ted’s Notes*
*Also held at Sky Sports Main Event
F1 is celebrating a sprint weekend in Miami as the 2026 season resumes. Watch the Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 from 9pm on Sunday. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
