Lewis Hamilton has received some positive news ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion will enjoy some upgrades to his Ferrari machine, and the Scuderia have reportedly listened to his calls to move focus onto the 2026 challenger. Hamilton’s first year with the Italian constructor has been more challenging than initially forecast.
For the first time in his F1 career, the 40-year-old has started the season without a podium in the opening 10 Grands Prix, and that run is showing no signs of ending in the summer stretch. After a weekend to forget at the Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton made some bold comments about the remainder of the season. “If I’m honest, I don’t know what upgrades we have coming, but we haven’t had an upgrade for some time,” the Brit stated.
“We’ll keep pushing with what we have, but before too soon, I will just be saying, ‘Let’s focus on next year.’ So we’re building a foundation this year, learning about the tools, the structures, our processes, and just nailing those, so then when we arrive next year, we will be with the car that we really want.”
Now it appears that his prayers will be answered. According to a report from The Race, Ferrari made the decision earlier this month to cease wind tunnel testing on the SF-25 in order to kickstart development of the team’s 2026 challenger.
However, despite the shift in attention, Ferrari aren’t giving up entirely on their current car. Improving the SF-25’s performance will be a critical aim for team principal Fred Vasseur, who is under pressure to improve results with his contract up at the end of the campaign.
The report explains that Vasseur’s squad have an upgrade package prepared for this weekend’s Austrian GP, which will no doubt delight the confidence-shy Hamilton. The tweaks to the SF-25 are targeted at ‘reducing the car’s reliance on lift and coast’ to control engine temperatures.
The upgrades will also look to improve the car’s ‘balance under high downforce conditions’, giving Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc the confidence to push flat-out. Ferrari also hopes to ease their skid block wear issues, which caused a double disqualification at the Chinese Grand Prix back in March.
This will be music to the ears of Hamilton, who already laid out his stall in Barcelona. “I think we are working on next year’s car,” he confirmed. “Whether or not we are 100 per cent on next year’s car, I can’t comment on. Next year is the championship that’s currently open. This one would be a lot harder to win, but it’s still not closed.”