Lewis Hamilton confesses British Grand Prix fear as Ferrari boss claps back | F1 | Sport
The British Grand Prix is next on the Formula One calendar and it presents a magnificent opportunity for Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion has triumphed nine times at Silverstone – more than any other driver in the sport’s history. The prospect of reaching double figures in victories awaits the 41-year-old, who got off to a stunning start to the race weekend after topping practice before securing pole position for the Sprint Race.
Hamilton ‘scary’ confession
The British Grand Prix weekend has got off to a remarkable start for Hamilton, who disclosed that Ferrari had warned him they would be surrendering six tenths in a straight line ahead of his Sprint performance. Their difficulties with straight-line speed have been a persistent problem throughout 2026, with Ferrari’s revelation leaving the Briton anxious about his Sprint prospects.
Reflecting on his Silverstone concerns, Hamilton said: “On top of that, yesterday they [Ferrari] were scaring me. They were like, ‘We’re going to be six tenths off in a straight line to these guys,’ and in the last race we were four tenths off in the straight line. But today all of a sudden, we’re kind of there and I was like: ‘Is this real? Are they going to turn up in quali?’
“We were right there competing with them. I always want to bring it back to everyone back at the factory, because I can’t say it enough, they’re just pushing. Last year we were kind of stuck in a rut, not a lot we could do. Now they’re finding things, they’re adding things to the car, and this weekend, every single weekend we bring in small little bits and add in performance to this car, and it felt awesome. Silverstone is the best track to drive.”
Vasseur addresses Wolff comments
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur hit back at Mercedes boss Toto Wolff who raised questions about the volume of upgrades the Italian outfit have been able to introduce each race weekend. Following circuit-specific improvements in Monaco, Hamilton’s triumph in the Spanish Grand Prix arrived on the back of a eight-time aerodynamic upgrade package.
Wolff suggested he believes the team “need to be running out of cost cap money soon” with Vasseur responding: “I found it quite ironic coming from Toto and Mercedes. But when Red Bull is developing or when Mercedes is developing they are geniuses; when we are developing we are cheating!
“I think you have to calm down with this. We didn’t bring more parts than Red Bull or another one. I don’t know if it was a joke or.” When questioned about whether he felt the Austrian billionaire was suggesting Ferrari were cheating, Vasseur replied: “If you think that we overshoot the cost cap, for me, it’s going into this direction. I think it was better to avoid to speak.”
