Lewis Hamilton issues Ferrari instruction in Mercedes F1 title pursuit

Lewis Hamilton has told Ferrari it must prepare for "all hands on deck" if it is to beat Mercedes to the 2026 F1 titles.

Hamilton's victory in Barcelona-Catalunya was the first non-Mercedes grand prix victory of 2026, with Hamilton 41 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli. 

The Ferrari driver has completed every racing lap in the SF-26 thus far, with Mercedes having reliability concerns after George Russell broke down from the lead in Canada and Antonelli from second in Barcelona. 

The Scuderia has unleashed a new engine for the Austrian GP weekend, with the engine regarded as the weakness of the package, owing to a small turbo design which lacks top-end grunt. 

Addressing whether a title challenge was possible, Hamilton described that the team had a "North Star" to which to work for, and that toppling Mercedes was not "impossible."

"I think the opportunity is there, but it's one thing being there, and then there's another thing, all galvanising the troops and developing," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. 

"You can hit plateaus in terms of development and all sorts, so all we can do is just take it one day at a time. All we can do is really continue to bring everything, everyone brings something to the table in this team, and everyone back in the factory is working so, so hard. 

"They see what's possible, and when you see what's possible, it kind of gives you - it's like a North Star: 'Okay, that's the direction we need to go.'

"Whether or not the team's had that for a while, I'm not sure, but obviously last year we didn't have really a North Star, and this year we have it, so everyone's like doubling down, everyone's putting that extra bit of work in, even more than what they've ever done before, and I think it's really starting to show. 

"The stuff that's coming through this weekend, we do have a new engine, it's a step, it's not the whole gap, but it's a step, it's one foot forwards, which I'm really, really proud and thankful for. 

"Mercedes are the team to beat, they've won everything else, and they've been just incredible this year. They've got a great car, it's an amazing team, a world championship team. 

"So we have a real battle on our hands, and it's going to take absolutely everyone full hands on deck for the rest of the year to even come close to competing with them, but I don't think it's impossible."