2026-07-24 09:15:30

Lewis Hamilton “really believes” that he can win an eighth F1 world title this season.

The British driver is enjoying a much-improved second campaign at Ferrari and is confident that he can chase down Mercedes racer Kimi Antonelli’s 45-point championship lead in the second half of the season.

Hamilton said: “It’s a great feeling, especially when you look at the contrast of where we were last year here.

“I’m really proud of the team for the curve and step we have taken collectively and I have to always acknowledge my own efforts and the work I’ve put in and the changes I’ve made to enable us to be where we are and I’m really proud of myself for that.

“There’s still a lot of work to do and still a mountain to climb ahead of us on the second half of the season but I’m more focused than ever and I really believe we can fight.”

Hamilton insists that this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix won’t be make-or-break for his ambition of overhauling Italian teenager Antonelli at the top of the standings.

The 106-time Grand Prix winner: “We are continuing to develop, we are continuing to push. There’s still a long way to go. I don’t see this one or the next one as a break point. I don’t know when it becomes the break point, if there is a break point.

“This is just the time for us to continue to hammer down and continue to double down on our development and continue to push.

“We have had two wins as a team, plenty of podiums – we are right there on their (Mercedes’) tails and I think we are now able to compete with them more consistently for victories, which I think is positive.”

Ferrari have been tipped to perform well at this weekend’s event at the twisty Budapest circuit but Hamilton feels that Mercedes still have the “car to beat”.

He said: “I don’t want to make assumptions. The last couple of races, ultimately we should have won the last two races if we perfected the weekend. The car was able to have won.

“In Spa (last weekend) we were more competitive than we thought and I missed something on that weekend and that’s not what I want to do this weekend.

“We have got a car that can compete. I think Mercedes still have the car to beat, naturally, as they have won the most and they won’t be easy to beat this weekend.

“But we have made subtle progress and hopefully can fight with them this weekend.”

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