Hamilton rejects claim Ferrari is only ahead because of a smaller turbo

Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in both Friday practice sessions. That came as no surprise to his rivals given the nature of the circuit and the characteristics of the SF-26, particularly its smaller turbo. Hamilton, however, believes attributing Ferrari’s strong form solely to its smaller turbo would be an oversimplification.

At 2,200 metres above sea level, the air is between 22 and 25 per cent thinner. In the previous engine era, that was not such a significant issue in terms of peak power, as the MGU-H assisted the turbo. From the 2026 season, however, power units must do without it, bringing “turbo lag” back into Formula 1.

With Ferrari running a smaller turbo, it is easier to spool up to full power than those of its rivals. That helps reduce turbo lag to some extent. “I don’t really agree on the turbo thing,” countered Lewis Hamilton after second practice.

The Scuderia may have an advantage at the start of the straights or off the line, but its rivals retain the edge over the full length of the straights. “If you look at the speeds of the Mercedes and the Red Bull, they’re still massive. They’re still quicker at the end of the straights like they are at every race. So the turbo is just not making a difference.”

“It’s still pulling more at the end of the straights, so I think we’re still losing a good couple of tenths, two or three tenths,” noted Hamilton. “But the car is behaving really well fundamentally. Our car is working well at tracks like this. I think the car feels like it’s capable of competing in qualifying.”

Ferrari remains cautious after its experiences in recent months. “But again, as I said, I don’t know what it is they are able to do in qualifying. Everyone seems to take a step. I don’t know if we can eke out a little bit more performance,”

Ferrari is also praying that Lewis Hamilton’s power unit has survived second practice. The seven-time champion was ordered to stop his car after suffering a loss of power in the third sector. Immediately after the session, it was unclear what had actually happened.

“They told me to stop. They saw some sort of problem, but it felt really good up until then,” said Hamilton. “The car was feeling great. I think we did a good job, made good setup changes, and the car was in a good place.”

That was not reflected on the timesheets because of the problem in the third sector. “My middle sector was strong, but even on my lap, we were losing power in a few places. I think I lost three-tenths. But [the bottom line] is that we’ve got a good car this weekend, so it is a shame to have lost this session.”