Source:REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
[Saba Sports News] Lewis Hamilton admitted that at the early stages of the 2026 season, it won’t be easy for Ferrari to catch up with Mercedes. In clean air conditions during the race, he estimated that the gap in race pace between the two teams is about 0.5 seconds per lap. This is a significant gap, and Ferrari will need time to catch up; issues won’t be resolved in the short term. In the first race of the new regulations era, Mercedes demonstrated strong dominance. George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli claimed the top two positions, and Russell’s pole position time in qualifying was almost 0.8 seconds faster than the closest non-Mercedes car.
At the Chinese Grand Prix, despite Ferrari upgrading their components, the speed gap between the two teams remained unchanged. Russell’s best time on medium tires was actually faster than Hamilton’s best time on soft tires. In response, Hamilton pointed out that every team is upgrading at a very rapid pace, and who can bring the most effective upgrades in the upcoming races will be crucial.
In the editor’s opinion, Mercedes has an advantage in energy deployment, preventing their cars from experiencing significant power drop-off at the end of the straights as other teams do. The reason for this could be that Mercedes’ engine releases energy more effectively, allowing better speed retention at the end of the straights. This is the fundamental reason for the speed gap between Mercedes and Ferrari cars.