# Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes ‘Still the Team to Beat’ at Belgian GP Alongside McLaren

**By Luca Bertolini**  \nPublished August 4, 2026  \nUpdated September 9, 2026

> As the 2026 Formula 1 season hits its halfway stretch at Spa-Francorchamps, Lewis Hamilton insists Mercedes remains the benchmark while warning that Ferrari's deficit will stretch wider on the Ardennes straights.

As the Formula 1 paddock unpacks in the Ardennes for the Belgian Grand Prix, the mathematical reality at the top of the Drivers’ Championship tells a tale of resilience against raw machinery. Kimi Antonelli commands the standings with 179 points, holding a 25-point advantage over Mercedes team-mate George Russell. Yet it is Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton—lying just seven points further back on 147 points after nine rounds—who has kept himself relentlessly in striking distance, despite driving a package that has rarely matched the Silver Arrows over a full race distance.

Speaking ahead of the weekend at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, the seven-time world champion pointed to the underlying statistics of the season with candid assessment. It's great that we're all close when really Mercedes have been the strongest team and they should be a lot further ahead, Hamilton noted, acknowledging that reliability struggles and mechanical setbacks for Antonelli have kept the door cracked open for Maranello.

While Ferrari heads into the classic Belgian fixture buoyed by recent momentum—highlighted by Hamilton’s victory in Barcelona and team-mate Charles Leclerc’s triumph at Silverstone—the technical profile of Spa presents a distinct trial. Hamilton, a five-time winner at the venue, has kept both feet firmly on the ground regarding his expectations on a layout dominated by high-speed power sectors.

I reckon Belgium will be a tough one for us, because we’ve got so many straights here, Hamilton explained. We’ll be off the pace, but I’m not yet sure exactly by how much. At Silverstone, we were closer to the front than expected. But in England we have lots of corners. Here, compared to Silverstone, we have 50 per cent more straights, so I expect our gap to be bigger than in the last race. In England, we were on average between three and four tenths of a second off the pace; we’re unlikely to match that here.

Those pre-weekend projections found immediate backing when track action commenced. While Hamilton showed encouraging pace early in Friday's opening practice session—finishing just over a tenth behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen—the narrative shifted during second practice as the Silver Arrows flexed their muscles. Antonelli topped the afternoon timesheets, leaving Hamilton seven tenths adrift and highlighting a specific deficit through Spa's demanding middle sector.

Leclerc echoed his team-mate's caution from the media pen, emphasizing that Silverstone's twisty layout masked structural limitations that the long straights of Spa will ruthlessly expose. For me, Silverstone and Spa are two tracks that will suit Mercedes a lot better, Leclerc told reporters. At Silverstone, it was honestly a surprise for us also to be strong. But we were also lucky on the Sunday because Kimi was probably as strong as what we expected. So, yeah, I think in Spa Mercedes is still the favourite.

Amidst the performance deficit, Hamilton has repeatedly underscored his pride in Ferrari’s development trajectory. Eschewing the traditional model of deploying massive upgrade packages just two or three times a year, the Scuderia has focused on continuous, incremental evolution. We don’t limit ourselves to major upgrades two or three times a year; instead, we immediately implement changes to the car that we believe will bring progress, Hamilton said, praising the factory for delivering a machine that combines competitive speed with the robust reliability required to punish rival mistakes.

That reliability canvas has proven vital. As Antonelli and Russell have each failed to score points at two grands prix, Hamilton has compiled a remarkably consistent run, finishing outside the top six on zero occasions and collecting four podium finishes across his last five outings. Behind the leading trio, McLaren remains a potent threat in the constructors' battle—currently holding fifth and sixth in the standings with 97 and 82 points respectively—though reigning world champion Lando Norris faces a 10-place grid penalty at Spa due to exceeding power unit component limits.

As qualifying approaches on the legendary Belgian tarmac, the strategic trade-off is clear. Mercedes retains the aerodynamic and power advantages necessary to dictate terms on the long blasts toward Les Combes and Blanchimont, leaving Ferrari to rely on setup ingenuity, tyre preservation, and flawless execution to bridge the widening gap.

## Sources

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- [skysports.com](https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/13563919/lewis-hamilton-ferrari-driver-says-mercedes-duo-kimi-antonelli-and-george-russell-should-be-a-lot-further-ahead-in-title-battle) — original
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- [straitstimes.com](https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/formula-one/lewis-hamilton-urges-ferrari-to-intensify-their-efforts-in-title-bid-at-spa) — original