Overview
- Lewis Hamilton secured his first race victory with Ferrari at the recent Barcelona Grand Prix, a result teams say validates his on-track recovery and the car’s improved race pace.
- Ferrari’s SF-26 has received aerodynamic changes and a switch to Carbon Industries brake discs that have improved tire management and sustained race speed compared with earlier rounds.
- Hamilton’s turnaround is linked to concrete team changes, most notably hiring Carlo Santi as his race engineer and altering preparation routines to better match the SF-26’s behaviour.
- Mercedes drivers and team leaders have warned of recent reliability failures that have cost laps and points, making durability the immediate priority for the W17 programme.
- Other rivals face distinct problems: Max Verstappen says Red Bull’s RB22 is effectively the fourth‑fastest car and needs upgrades to regain pace, while Honda says Aston Martin’s power‑unit work will take more time and could affect driver futures such as Fernando Alonso’s plans.