Lewis Hamilton has seen Ferrari make a ‘pretty impressive’ step that could be crucial for 2026 hopes

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Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton loves racing in Brazil, but the 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix has not been the return to Interlagos that he would have dreamed of.

Since Felipe Massa won the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix before being cruelly denied the drivers’ championship by Lewis Hamilton, only one Ferrari driver has tasted victory at Interlagos.

In 2017, Sebastian Vettel won in Brazil, and after a winless 2025 campaign, Ferrari came into the weekend of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix hoping that either Hamilton or his teammate Charles Leclerc could end that barren run.

Both drivers initially struggled during Sprint qualifying and then Saturday evening’s session in preparation for the Grand Prix, with Hamilton eliminated in Q2 on both occasions.

Leclerc produced a magical lap in the top 10 shootout and will start from third, with Lando Norris on pole position as his championship credentials continue to strengthen.

For Hamilton, all eyes are on 2026 and the upcoming Formula 1 regulation changes.

It’s well known that the team with the strongest power unit is going to have a significant advantage over the rest of the grid next year.

Hamilton has now seen something behind the scenes at Maranello that will give Ferrari fans plenty of hope going into next year.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari’s engine work is ‘pretty impressive’ ahead of F1 rule changes

Hamilton was taking part in an interview with Acelerados ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix race weekend.

When asked about the work going on behind the scenes at Ferrari, he said: “There’s like a part of me that’s kind of geeky like that. I love knowing about technology, coding, and all that stuff.

“I love being at the factory and learning what everyone’s doing, working through CAD drawings, aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics. I think it’s really fascinating for me.

“That’s probably the most fascinating part, and you come to the race and you have to do the work and obviously have good output, but seeing the work that goes on back at the factory is for me the most exciting part.

“In a world today, where in Formula 1, I mean, it always has been, but reliability is everything. The engine is the heart of the car. It’s the most important part of the car, and keeping it healthy.

“Back in the day, you would have degradation of the engine over time because it’s pumping out so much power.

“We’re not seeing any degradation from race one to race seven, which is pretty impressive.”

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Lewis Hamilton blames the rear tyres for disappointing Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying

Speaking in his official post-qualifying media session after scoring points in Saturday’s Sprint Race but only qualifying 13th, Hamilton said: “Today also started on a positive note here in Brazil. In the Sprint, I was able to make up a good number of places, which got me back into the points.

“We made some changes to the car afterwards that helped on the straights and in the high-speed corners, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get the rear tyres into the right window in Q2, and that cost us.

“Still, a lot can happen on this track, as we’ve already seen today, so we’ll give it everything and try to put up a strong fight tomorrow.”

Some of Ferrari’s new recruits have been left worried by their progress on next year’s engine, which might concern Hamilton and Leclerc.

There have also been whispers that Ferrari’s 2026 engine might be less powerful than Audi’s as the German manufacturer prepares to make their Formula 1 debut next season.

However, the work Hamilton has seen behind the scenes suggests that many of those fears could be unfounded, and if Ferrari’s reliability is as good as he suggests, then the Scuderia could play the long game and potentially benefit from failures elsewhere in the pit lane later in the season.