Hamilton worried about Ferrari top speed after Italian GP practice

Monza, the sacred land of speed, is where F1 cars showcase their engine power the most during the year. About 75% of the lap is full throttle, where every thousandth of a second lost on the straights must be paid for with positions on the standings. Therefore, Lewis Hamilton's comments after the first two practice sessions at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix are not just ordinary technical remarks, but a strategic warning signal for the entire race weekend and beyond.

The second practice session at Monza saw George Russell lead with the Mercedes W15, while Hamilton, who will move to Ferrari in 2026, finished only fifth, 0.457 seconds behind his future teammate. But the most alarming number was not in lap times, but in top speed on the straights: Hamilton estimated he was losing up to 0.6 seconds to Russell on high-speed sections alone. At a track where top speed determines almost everything, this is an unacceptable gap.

What makes the story more complex is the special context of this weekend. Ferrari brought the ADUO (Aerodynamic Development Unit Override) engine upgrade to Monza, a permitted mechanism during the engine development freeze period, promising approximately 15 additional horsepower. Hamilton, who approved this upgrade, said it could halve the gap to Mercedes. But even then, the remaining 0.3-second gap on the straights would still be too large an advantage for Mercedes at a track they have dominated for years.

The top speed difference is a compound problem, not purely a power unit issue. Fred Vasseur, Ferrari Team Principal, was correct in pointing out that aerodynamic drag, car weight, and the ERS deployment schedule are all contributing factors. The SF-24 has shown higher aerodynamic drag than the Mercedes W15 in certain configurations throughout the 2026 season. At Monza, where teams typically use minimal rear wings to reduce drag, any aerodynamic inefficiency will be ruthlessly exposed.

Hamilton's comment about the difference in deployment schedules also opens up an important technical detail. This is a software and calibration issue, not hardware. The schedule for releasing electrical energy from the battery (ERS) directly affects speed at the end of straights. This difference could indicate that Ferrari is facing cooling constraints, forcing them to taper electrical power output earlier to manage temperatures — a fundamental engine characteristic that cannot be fixed mid-season.

The problem becomes even more complicated when the setup changes during the second practice session backfired. Hamilton said he had balance issues, and the engineering team may need to consider reverting to the old setup. An unbalanced car typically requires larger wing angles or different ride heights, both of which increase drag and worsen the top speed problem. This creates a vicious cycle at Monza: the more downforce added to solve balance issues, the slower the car becomes on the straights.

Hamilton, known for his sharp technical feedback, has publicly expressed concern about Ferrari's top speed. This is a double-edged signal: on one hand, it demonstrates his deep technical engagement with the new team, one of the key reasons Ferrari pursued him. On the other hand, publicly flagging the weakness before the race at Monza, Ferrari's home, could be a way to manage expectations under immense pressure from the tifosi and Italian media.

On Vasseur's part, publicly backing the engine upgrade is a classic communication strategy. He acknowledged the gap to Mercedes but attributed it to multiple factors, thereby defending the team's technical decisions and avoiding creating a narrative of engine failure. This is how F1 team principals typically operate when facing pressure from media and fans.

The biggest shock may not be on Sunday's race, but in the bigger picture for 2026. If Ferrari cannot close the gap to Mercedes on speed-sensitive tracks like Monza, even with the ADUO upgrade, then the 2026 car — the car Hamilton will drive — will need significant aerodynamic efficiency improvements to compensate. This puts immense pressure on Ferrari's aerodynamics department and technical leadership.

The reality is that the current engine freeze regulations only allow limited improvements through the ADUO mechanism. Ferrari cannot redesign the entire engine during this period. The approximately 15 horsepower from this upgrade is nearly the maximum they can achieve under current rules. This means Ferrari's competitiveness in 2026 will depend more on chassis and aerodynamic development rather than engine power.

The 2026 regulation change, with a complete redesign of the power unit system (50% electrical power, sustainable fuels), will be the real race. All manufacturers will start from a clean sheet, and that is when Ferrari's true engine development capability will be tested. But until then, at Monza this weekend, Ferrari must face a difficult reality: they may not be fast enough to beat Mercedes on the fastest track in the calendar.

For Hamilton, who has spent years driving a car with the benchmark Mercedes engine, recognizing the difference in deployment schedules and top speed is not just a technical observation. It is a signal that he has already begun shaping development priorities for 2026, even before officially donning the red colors. The question is not just what Ferrari can do to salvage the race at Monza, but whether they have enough time and resources to address these fundamental weaknesses before Hamilton officially takes his seat.