George Russell has cautioned that Mercedes face a serious challenge from Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari for the 2026 Formula 1 drivers' and constructors' titles. Russell, who sits in third position after a difficult season, said: "It's great to see Lewis back doing what he does best."
Russell Praises Hamilton's Resurgence
"People were writing him off last year or even the year we were team-mates in '24. You know, 'Is he too old? Is he this? Is he that?' And then he goes and he's been smashing it for the last four or five races," Russell added. "It just shows that you don't forget how to drive overnight. You need yourself, your team, the set-up, the understanding of the tyres, everything just to click. And when it clicks, you fly."
Hamilton, who secured his maiden victory for Ferrari at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix a fortnight ago, declined to dismiss a strong push heading into the latter half of the campaign: "I don't think it's impossible," he said. The seven-time champion trails championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes by 41 points following his triumph in Spain, which demonstrated he had bounced back from a challenging debut season with Ferrari.
Ferrari Replaces Leclerc for FP1 at Austrian GP
Hamilton will face a different opponent in the opposing Ferrari garage this weekend as Charles Leclerc is set to be substituted by the Scuderia. While the seven-time world champion has been in excellent form, Leclerc has found it difficult to match his velocity in recent outings and even admitted he has copied Hamilton's car configuration in an attempt to close the gap.
Leclerc, 28, could reasonably benefit from additional practice time to adapt to his revised settings. Yet the team have opted to offer an opportunity to Dino Beganovic to take the wheel in FP1 instead - leaving Leclerc with 60 minutes less in the car than his team-mate. Beganovic, who has been part of Ferrari's driver academy since 2020, is receiving a rare outing in the SF-26. The young Swedish racer has been engaged in development duties this season and was brought in at Barcelona a fortnight ago, assuming Hamilton's spot in FP1.
Vasseur Optimistic Despite Driver Swap
If there is a bright side for the Monegasque, it's that Hamilton appeared untroubled by the alteration and proceeded to claim victory in the race - something Leclerc hasn't achieved since the 2024 campaign. Leclerc will return to the cockpit for FP2 so that he can acquaint himself with the car and get up to pace as swiftly as possible.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur is optimistic about a strong performance from his squad, saying: "We arrive in Austria encouraged by our positive showing over the past few races. We are fully aware that there is still a lot of work to do and that we must continue to focus on ourselves. We will approach this weekend with the same method and mindset that we have adopted since the start of the season. [We are] aiming to put together clean sessions in every respect, from track execution to the strategic decisions taken on the pit wall. We know that every weekend has a different story to tell, which is why we will continue to take the championship one race at a time."
