Lewis Hamilton targets Hungarian Grand Prix rebound after costly Spa crash
Lewis Hamilton has admitted he must raise his focus levels at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix after a costly practice crash compromised his race in Belgium.
The Ferrari driver finished fourth at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday but believes he could have challenged for victory without a major Saturday setback.
An accident at the end of final practice forced mechanics to replace a host of parts on his car immediately prior to qualifying.
Team-mate Charles Leclerc ultimately qualified and finished ahead of the British driver for the second consecutive race.
Encouraging pace for Scuderia
Despite his personal frustration in Belgium, the seven-time world champion remains buoyed by the underlying speed of his machinery.
The Italian outfit performed better than expected against Mercedes on the high-speed layouts of Silverstone and Spa.
This suggests they will be formidable at the tighter Hungaroring, a circuit which plays heavily to their cornering strengths.
It’s really great to see the performance that we are bringing and we are improving the car constantly.
Hamilton noted that the team possesses upgrades in the pipeline to help close the gap to their closest rivals.
Title battle heats up in Budapest
The veteran driver currently sits second in the 2026 Drivers’ Championship, trailing championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 45 points.
He reclaimed the runner-up spot from George Russell in Belgium, surviving a five-second penalty for a first-lap collision that spun his former team-mate out.
He now heads to a venue that holds significant historical success for him.
The former Mercedes star boasts a record eight victories in Hungary, and the track was also the scene of his most recent pole position in 2023.
I can’t afford weekends like this in a sense of my performance, so I’m going to step it up in terms of focus level for next week.
