Hamilton onboard footage reveals Ferrari’s 2026 battery teething problems, Davidson says
Lewis Hamilton’s onboard footage from the Australian Grand Prix has highlighted that Ferrari are clearly encountering “teething problems” with their 2026 F1 battery system, according to former F1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Anthony Davidson.
Hamilton’s qualifying performance in Melbourne saw him start in seventh position, a result that disappointed many given the strong performance and excitement surrounding Ferrari during pre-season testing. His teammate Charles Leclerc fared better, securing fourth place on the grid, approximately one and a half tenths ahead of Hamilton.
What was particularly concerning for the Scuderia was the significant gap to the pace-setting Mercedes team, with both Ferrari drivers more than eight-tenths slower than George Russell’s pole position time. Hamilton also raised questions about the scale of Mercedes’ engine advantage, prompting scrutiny from the FIA.
Davidson identifies key issues with Ferrari energy deployment
Analyzing the Briton’s onboard footage after qualifying, Davidson observed a dramatic surge of energy from the Ferrari power unit as the car exited turn four. This sudden deployment caused two major issues: it unsettled the rear of Hamilton’s car mid-corner and left him critically low on available energy for the remainder of the lap.
Davidson also noted that the problem was not confined to the Briton’s car alone. Charles Leclerc reported similar energy deployment inconsistencies, indicating that the issue was systemic across Ferrari’s 2026 powertrain. Davidson emphasized that the mid-corner to exit acceleration Hamilton experienced, estimated at close to the full 350kW of battery deployment, was far from optimal. He explained that this level of deployment at that section of the lap is inefficient, as teams generally aim to conserve energy for later parts of the circuit. Davidson highlighted that the erratic deployment not only affected car handling but also made the engine sound “painful” to listen to, illustrating the severity of Ferrari’s battery teething troubles for 2026.
Ferrari apologizes to Hamilton after qualifying struggles
During Q2, Hamilton had expressed frustration to his interim race engineer, Carlo Santi, regarding the lack of available power. Despite this, he managed to progress to the top-ten shootout, although Ferrari appeared unable to extract the full potential of the SF-26 package. While energy management issues are expected for most teams at this early stage of the season, the problems were particularly pronounced in Ferrari’s car.
After the qualifying session, Carlo Santi acknowledged the situation, apologizing to Hamilton for a “messy” session, a likely reference to the inconsistent energy deployment throughout the lap. Ferrari is also undergoing a transition in Hamilton’s engineering support. Cedric Michel-Grosjean, currently in Melbourne, will observe Santi over the next few races before officially taking over as Hamilton’s permanent race engineer. Michel-Grosjean had arrived late due to completing a period of gardening leave following his departure from McLaren.
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