Hamilton says Ferrari must keep developing ahead of Barcelona GP

Lewis Hamilton said on Thursday that Ferrari can stay in the Formula 1 title fight if it continues to develop its car, speaking ahead of this weekend’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion said recent progress has moved the team closer to the direction he pushed for last year, but stressed Ferrari still needs more performance to challenge consistently.

Hamilton added that results can swing quickly in Formula 1, making upgrades and execution critical as the season heads into a run of varied circuit types.

Two consecutive second-place finishes have lifted Hamilton to second in the Drivers’ standings, 66 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli. Hamilton also sits two points ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell as the championship arrives in Spain.

Hamilton matched his best Grand Prix result for Ferrari with second place in Monaco and repeated the outcome in Canada. He said the run has delivered three podiums in the last five Grands Prix, a sharp contrast to last season when he did not reach the podium in 24 Sunday races.

Hamilton described last year as a “building year” and said he expected results to improve if Ferrari acted on the areas he had highlighted. He said the current car is closer to what he had asked for and that he has had input into its development, while acknowledging Ferrari is “still not there just yet.”

He said the competitive order can change from track to track, which means Ferrari cannot assume recent results will automatically carry over. Hamilton said the team’s focus has to remain on incremental gains and clean weekends as it tries to turn a short run of strong form into a regular challenge at the front.

Vasseur collaboration and the development race

Hamilton credited team principal Fred Vasseur for close collaboration and said the working relationship has helped move the team forward. He framed the next phase of the season as a test of whether Ferrari can keep advancing its package while maintaining execution across qualifying and race conditions.

Hamilton said he sees car development as a key variable in the title picture. He said Ferrari’s aim is to “out-do” rivals in how quickly it can bring performance, while staying disciplined on weekends when small mistakes can decide track position.

Downforce strength, efficiency gap, and Barcelona as a reference point

Hamilton said he does not expect Ferrari to outpace Mercedes’ power unit outright this season, but believes lap time can be found in other areas. He highlighted Ferrari’s downforce package as a strength and said the team must keep progressing so it can carry more speed through corners to offset any deficit on the straights.

He also pointed to aerodynamic efficiency as an area to improve, including reducing drag to limit straight-line losses. Hamilton said the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix will offer another reference point for Ferrari’s trajectory as the season moves into its next phase.

Ferrari’s immediate focus this weekend will be on whether planned development steps translate into performance in both qualifying and race conditions.