Lewis Hamilton does not believe that Ferrari’s latest power unit development will be enough to eliminate Mercedes’ advantage in the 2026 Formula 1 season. For the British driver, the new feature obtained through the ADUO represents progress, but not the ‘silver bullet’ that would put the team on the same level as the competitor.
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Ferrari received FIA approval to make two power unit upgrades in 2026 and two more in 2027. The first was introduced at the Italian GP and focused on the turbo, after the team prioritized a smaller solution earlier in the year to reduce turbo lag and improve response on exits and acceleration after corners.
According to Hamilton, this decision brought a top speed disadvantage. At the Italian GP, the difference reached six tenths on the straights, while at other circuits it was between three and four tenths: “We did a really great job, considering we had this deficit, and we keep making improvements to the car. We made improvements to the engine. We knew the last update wouldn’t be the silver bullet and wouldn’t completely close that gap,” Hamilton told the press.
The seven-time world champion, however, highlighted that the evolution presented by Ferrari remains a positive sign: “For me, it’s really positive to see that we keep advancing very quickly, and it’s not easy,” he added.
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Mercedes is also expected to present a power unit benefiting from the ADUO before the end of the season, but Hamilton prefers not to focus his attention on his former team.
“Our focus should be only on how we can do our best and execute our weekends in the best way,” he concluded. According to him, there will be stages where Mercedes will be exceptional and others where it may make mistakes, creating opportunities for Ferrari to take advantage of any problems of the rival.
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