Lewis Hamilton urges Ferrari to ‘understand’ how Mercedes make a ‘huge step’ with new 2026 F1 tool

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Lewis Hamilton has urged Ferrari to “understand” how Mercedes make a “huge step” when their drivers use the new straight mode introduced with F1’s 2026 regulations.

Seven-time F1 champion Hamilton noticed the gains that Mercedes stars George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli enjoyed compared to Ferrari when they engaged straight mode at the Australian Grand Prix. Russell took a dominant pole at Albert Park, and also went on to win.

F1 has introduced straight mode as part of the active aerodynamics designed to help drivers use less energy in certain areas on every circuit. F1 has confirmed that straight mode will be available from Turn 16 to 1, Turn 4 to 6, Turn 10 to 11 and Turn 13 to 14 in China this week.

Straight mode is an enhancement on the Drag Reduction System (DRS) that F1 utilised from 2011 to 2025. Instead of drivers only being able to open the top element of their rear wing to reduce drag on straights, the flaps on the front wings also lay flat to increase top speeds.

Has Max Verstappen just proven that he does not see Kimi Antonelli as a 2026 F1 title threat?

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Lewis Hamilton wants Ferrari to understand how Mercedes gain a ‘huge’ advantage in straight mode

Hamilton feels Mercedes revealed in Melbourne that their active aerodynamics yield a huge pace advantage compared to Ferrari when Russell and Antonelli engage straight mode. Also, Mercedes’ energy management was a big advantage in Australia, particularly for a flying lap.

READ MORE: How to watch the 2026 Chinese GP, with F1 Sprint and Grand Prix start times

Russell and Antonelli were less vulnerable to clipping and also maintained higher top speeds during qualifying at Albert Park, which also convinced Hamilton that Ferrari need to work on their engine. Ferrari’s drivers had to recover energy earlier than their rivals from Mercedes.

“It seems mostly on [the] straights,” Hamilton said, via GPblog. “So, I think it would be at the moment everywhere on the straights. It seems more so when they open up the SM.

“That’s when they take a huge step. That phase is an area we need to understand, and then they seem to have a little bit more deployment.

“Yeah, so less derating at the end of straights than some of us. So, we’ve just got to work on trying to see how we can eke out more from our engine.”

Ferrari face a frustrating Chinese Grand Prix if Mercedes replicate their straight mode advantage

Russell scored pole for the Australian GP in a Mercedes one-two last Saturday, and Antonelli in P2 even held a 0.492s margin over Isack Hadjar of Red Bull in P3 and a 0.516s margin over Charles Leclerc as the lead Ferrari driver on the grid in P4. Hamilton qualified P7 in Australia.

The necessity to regen energy meant Mercedes were not as strong over the early laps of the race. But Russell and Antonelli’s performances in Melbourne clearly alarmed Hamilton, who may now fear another frustrating weekend for Ferrari at the Chinese Grand Prix this week.

Should Mercedes replicate their advantage when using straight mode in Shanghai, then the W17 could carry Russell and Antonelli to another one-two in qualifying thanks to the 1.2km (0.7m) back straight in particular, where the W17’s energy management should also pay off.

Add in that this weekend is also the first F1 Sprint round of the 2026 season, and Ferrari will not have long to dial in their set-up before Sprint Qualifying. So, Hamilton and Leclerc could have to hope their quick starts allow them to get between the Silver Arrows drivers to fight.