Lewis Hamilton says preferential remedy over team-mate Charles Leclerc just isn’t what he’s been asking Ferrari for, regardless of his place as a possible System 1 title contender in 2026.
Leclerc’s retirement from the Italian Grand Prix means he’s now 112 factors adrift of championship chief Kimi Antonelli, with a most of 258 factors to attain during the last 10 rounds – assuming the ultimate races aren’t impacted by the Iran battle.
Hamilton’s deficit, in the meantime, is ‘simply’ 76 factors, so the seven-time world champion does have extra lifelike odds – nevertheless slim – to be a darkish horse for the title.
Nevertheless, when requested if it was time for the Scuderia to place all its efforts behind him and for Leclerc to help him, Hamilton retorted: “That is not really actually what I have been asking for.
“It is actually simply ensuring we’re executing to ensure we get the perfect outcome for the group. As an alternative of us working in opposition to one another and ending fourth and fifth, perhaps we will work collectively and get a podium, pull off extra factors.”
Consistency has stored Hamilton within the title race thus far, as he’s the one driver to have completed each grand prix within the prime 10; the highest six has really by no means eluded him. However he’s painfully conscious of the Silver Arrows’ dominance when it comes to pure pace, with Ferrari but to take a single pole place in 2026; the discrepancy largely stems from the ability unit.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Picture by: Andy Hone/ LAT Photographs by way of Getty Photographs
“Mercedes, should you take a look at the final race, they have been six tenths a lap faster on the straights,” Hamilton identified. “Just about a lot of the different tracks, it was three or 4 tenths. We have been shedding simply on the straights.
“I believe we have accomplished a very nice job, provided that we have had that deficit, and we proceed to make enhancements to the automotive. We have made enhancements to the engine. We knew that the final [engine] improve wasn’t going to be a silver bullet and shut that hole utterly. However for me, it is actually optimistic to see us constantly stepping ahead. They’re simply very, very fast, and it is not simple.
“As I mentioned, fairly than concentrate on them – they don’t seem to be a spotlight for me in the mean time – I believe our focus ought to simply be, how we will do the perfect and execute the perfect on our weekends, as a result of there will be weekends the place they’re distinctive, and there will be weekends the place they perhaps drop the ball.
“So long as we simply concentrate on our consistency and attempting to optimise our weekends, perhaps there’s going to be a second the place we’re in a position to capitalise on, maybe, their shortcomings.”
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