Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari are emerging as serious title contenders, according to Mercedes driver George Russell. Hamilton agreed that a championship fight is possible, while stressing that his immediate focus remains on winning races rather than thinking too far ahead.
Hamilton’s strong run has come after a difficult start to life at Ferrari, with his victory in Barcelona marking his first win for the team. That result has lifted him back into the conversation after some suggested he had lost a step, while Russell said the recent form shows the seven-time world champion still has the pace to compete at the front.
Russell described Hamilton and Ferrari as a major challenge, adding that everything has started to come together for them in recent races. He said Hamilton appears to be in a phase where car, tyres and team understanding are all working in harmony, making him a dangerous opponent as the season develops.
Hamilton, however, was cautious about talk of a title push. He said there is an opportunity for Ferrari to close the gap, but admitted it would take a strong collective effort across the team for the rest of the season. Even so, he would not rule out a challenge entirely.
Ferrari are widely seen as having one of the strongest chassis packages this season, although their engine performance has lagged behind Mercedes in some areas. The team is bringing an engine update for the Austrian Grand Prix, but Hamilton said the upgrade would be only a step forward rather than a complete solution.
He also revealed more about the physical problem that affected him last year, explaining that a heavy impact during testing left him dealing with a neck injury. Hamilton said the issue caused pain and disrupted his sleep for weeks, requiring daily treatment before he was able to return to full fitness.
Elsewhere in the paddock, Red Bull are also looking for progress after a mixed start to the campaign. Max Verstappen said the team’s latest chassis upgrade should help, though he stopped short of making bold predictions about how much of a difference it would make.
