Lewis Hamilton will be encouraged by Ferrari’s chief’s update on Austrian Grand Prix upgrades

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Lewis Hamilton enjoyed one of his best overall weekends of the Formula 1 season so far at the Austrian Grand Prix.

The Brit started and finished fourth for Ferrari, finishing just under 10 seconds shy of what would’ve been his first podium in red.

Hamilton trails teammate Charles Leclerc by 28 points, but did help his team move above Mercedes into second place in the constructors’ championship in Spielberg.

Overall, the Austrian Grand Prix was the Scuderia’s second most successful outing of the season so far, as they showed promising pace and good consistency.

Despite their progress, Jacques Villeneuve found Ferrari’s approach ‘odd’ and believes that the communication with their drivers could be better.

Hamilton’s unheard radio message suggests he’s unhappy at Ferrari still, after he could be heard saying he needs to ‘figure’ out his lack of pace. That should come with time.

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton told he’s now ‘guaranteed’ to exploit one Ferrari ‘bugbear’ with his driving style

Lewis Hamilton will be encouraged by Ferrari chief’s update on car upgrades at the Austrian Grand Prix

For this weekend only, Fred Vasseur was absent for the Maranello-based outfit and was replaced by Jerome d’Ambrosio, a former Formula 1 driver, for the weekend as boss.

The Belgian only joined the team over the winter after leaving Mercedes at the same time as the sport’s most successful driver did.

Hamilton says Ferrari will address one ‘annoying’ problem for 2026, after suffering with some understeer with this year’s car.

However, part of the plan to fix their woes came in Austria, as a new floor was placed on the car for the weekend.

Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, d’Ambrosio admitted that the upgrade had worked, which is an encouraging sign for Hamilton.

“It is very important to make sure, when you bring a new piece, that the delivery on the track, compared to the results of the wind tunnel, is confirmed,” he said. “And we saw this and so there was a step forward, but we still have work to do.”

READ MORE: Some Ferrari staff have now ‘rejected’ another Lewis Hamilton ally amid Fred Vasseur’s uncertain future

Lewis Hamilton may have pulled off a masterstroke move about whispers about Ferrari’s 2026 F1 car

Heading into the 2026 F1 regulations, Ferrari have a lot of work to do if they want to be in a position to end what is currently a 17-year title drought.

Last year, they fell 14 points short of breaking their duck, as McLaren beat them to the constructors’ title at a tense final race in Abu Dhabi.

Hamilton may have pulled off a masterstroke after it was revealed his new team is in a really good position heading into the new ruleset.

At the age of 40, time is ticking for him to win a record eighth world title, and he needs to take advantage of the good years he has left by having a good car. 2026 could be that chance.