Bernie Collins thinks Ferrari face a ‘big question’ that is holding Lewis Hamilton back

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Bernie Collins has seen “hope” for Lewis Hamilton amid his mixed start to the 2026 F1 season, but Ferrari must “maximise” their early potential for the Briton to offer more.

The 2026 F1 regulations seemed to get the best out of Hamilton again in the opening rounds in Australia and China. After he struggled throughout the ground-effect era as the cars never suited his driving style, the 41-year-old looked in tune with this year’s chassis and aero rules.

Yet since Hamilton scored his first Grand Prix podium with Ferrari in China, when he finished P3 on the back of also securing P3 in the Shanghai Sprint, his form has taken a dip. Hamilton would only finish P6 in Japan and again in Miami, where he also only sealed P7 in the Sprint.

Hamilton’s damage from his first-lap collision with Franco Colapinto in Miami ultimately cost him a chance to enjoy a stronger result than crossing the finish line initially in P7. Teammate Charles Leclerc’s 20-second penalty in the Miami GP dropped him from P6 at the flag to P8.

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Ferrari must stop falling away as the races progress for Lewis Hamilton to achieve more

Leclerc endured a messy end to his Miami GP, as the Monegasque spun whilst trying to push behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in their battle for the final place on the podium. Despite their hiccups at Hard Rock Stadium, Collins still saw positive signs for Ferrari in Florida last week.

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Collins thinks the 11 upgrades that Ferrari took to Florida helped to improve the SF-26, and their updates could pay off more around other tracks on F1’s calendar. But until Ferrari also stop regressing as the races progress, the SF-26 will likely hold Hamilton and Leclerc back.

“I think Lewis, maybe, didn’t have a strong weekend this weekend, and Charles Leclerc, as well, had little issues during the race,” Collins told Sky Sports News (06/05, 16:35). “Both of them had damage, Lewis very early on [and] Charles towards the end.

“But I think that Ferrari have shown signs of improvement. The gap is not that big, and I think different races will benefit different cars, depending on their performance upgrades that they bring, and depending on how their engine is performing at that track.

“We’ve seen Ferrari be very, very strong off the start line, both on launches and in the initial parts of the race.

“So, the big question is, can Ferrari maximise that beginning of the race performance through some of the coming races and improve sort of their degradation, or how their car performs towards the end. So, I think there’s hope out there for Ferrari and Lewis fans yet.”

Hamilton tangled with Alpine ace Colapinto at Turn 11 when the Ferrari driver tried to make an overtake around the outside, but the Argentine refused to yield and took them out wide. The damage to Hamilton’s car caused from the contact cost him around half a second a lap.

Leclerc was thus Ferrari’s only hope in the Miami GP, but he ultimately lacked the race pace to stay with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The 28-year-old had led the Miami GP early on, but his hopes vanished after Ferrari pitted him on Lap 21.