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Jean Alesi was “delighted” for Lewis Hamilton to get his first Grand Prix win for Ferrari in Barcelona, but he is “sure” that the 2026 title is still Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s to win.
Hamilton has forced his way into this season’s F1 drivers’ title fight with the best run of form he has enjoyed in nearly two years. Now, the seven-time champion sits just 41 points behind Antonelli at the top of the standings, ahead of round eight out of 22 in Austria this weekend.
Not since Hamilton won the British and Belgian Grands Prix on either side of sealing third in Hungary for Mercedes in 2024 has he had a run of form as strong as he has had for Ferrari of late. Before Hamilton won in Barcelona last time out, he sealed P2 in Canada and Monaco.
Lewis Hamilton is now only missing a Grand Prix pole position for Ferrari 🏆 Predict when it will come?
Jean Alesi still believes the 2026 F1 title is ‘out of reach’ for Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari
Seeing Hamilton win the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix last time out brought Alesi joy, as it proved to anyone who doubted the Briton that he did not forget how to drive amid his woes in the ground-effect era. Hamilton often faced calls to retire in 2025 after a difficult first year at Ferrari, during which even the most successful F1 driver thus far also questioned himself.
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“Lewis certainly hadn’t forgotten how to drive,” Alesi exclaimed to Quotidiano Nazionale. “I was delighted with his victory in Barcelona. I know how much it meant to him. Can I make a joke? Hamilton has caught up with me. At Ferrari, we’re level on wins.”
Now, Ferrari are ready to go all-in on Hamilton’s 2026 F1 title bid, having rallied around the 41-year-old to give him the tools he needs to chase a record-breaking eighth championship crown. It would even be Ferrari’s first drivers’ title since Kimi Raikkonen’s from back in 2007.
But while Alesi was “delighted” to see Hamilton secure his first Grand Prix win with Ferrari in Barcelona, he doubts an eighth title is on the horizon for the Briton this year. Instead, Alesi is adamant that Mercedes gem Antonelli remains the one to beat for the 2026 F1 drivers’ title.
“Do you want the truth? No,” Alesi said. “Ferrari have a very good car – it’s competitive, but it is inferior to Mercedes’. You won’t be catching the Silver Arrows this year. You might win a few races – that’s for sure – but the title is out of reach.
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“Antonelli, the guy is just too good. Mind you, Russell is no slouch, I like him. But when it comes to race pace, Kimi’s a cut above. In a race, Kimi is an animal! And I like him as a person, too. He’s a lovely young man.”
Hamilton has reaped the rewards from Ferrari’s substantial upgrade packages for the SF-26 introduced in Miami and Barcelona to enter at least the conversation for the 2026 title. He could further prove his threat this week, too, as Ferrari are set to have an upgraded engine in Austria that their simulations are indicating should be worth around 0.2 seconds per lap.
Of course, Hamilton benefitted from Antonelli retiring from the Barcelona-Catalunya GP to leave Montmelo only 41 points behind the Italian atop the standings. Yet luck is sometimes needed to win a title, and Ferrari’s reliability has been superior to Mercedes’ so far in 2026.
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