Hamilton and Ferrari present significant title threat, says Russell

Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari are "a huge threat" for this year's world championship, according to Mercedes driver George Russell. Hamilton, who took his first win for Ferrari in the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix just under two weeks ago, commented on the title challenge, saying: "I don’t think it’s impossible." The seven-time champion is currently 41 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes following his victory in Spain, which confirmed his recovery from a tough first season with Ferrari.

Russell, who is nine points behind Hamilton, praised his teammate, stating: "It’s great to see Lewis back doing what he does best. 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. 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. That’s where he is at the moment and for sure he is a big threat. Ferrari are a huge threat. Kimi is still very much the driver out front and is performing really incredibly and consistently. But Ferrari feel like they’re coming and Lewis is at the forefront of that.

Hamilton added: "I think the opportunity is there, but it’s one thing being there, and then there’s another thing... galvanizing the troops and developing. 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. But I’m just really not thinking about that I’m competing for a championship. I’m thinking about arriving. I want to win this weekend. That’s my goal."

Ferrari are recognized as having the best chassis in F1 this year, but their engine is lagging behind Mercedes. They have their first engine upgrade for Austria this weekend, but Hamilton stated it would not entirely close the gap to the best engines. "We do have a new engine," he confirmed. "It’s not the whole gap, but it’s a step."

Hamilton also elaborated on an injury he incurred at the track last year. "I hit the wall very hard last year in testing," he explained. "Knocked out one of the discs in my neck. Protruding into the nerve. So couldn’t do a lot for nine weeks. I was just having chiropractors every day. Physio every day, I couldn’t sleep. I had to get injections. I did everything I could to try to fix it. So, that’s what I was basically trying to live with. Which is not easy in the seating position that you’re sitting in."

Red Bull, who have been the least competitive of the top four teams thus far this year, have a major chassis upgrade for this race. Lead driver Max Verstappen commented: "Hopefully it will be a bit better and then we’ll see where we end up with that."