Lewis Hamilton speaks plainly about Mercedes, but Kimi Antonelli has other ideas

On the eve of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton spoke at Media Day, clarifying his own ambitions and those of Ferrari, in light of the strong results at the Belgian Grand Prix (Leclerc second, Hamilton fourth) and the position of both drivers in the world championship standings (in this case, Lewis is second and Charles fourth).

“Our car is similar to the one we had in Monaco; just a few details have changed,” the seven-time world champion told reporters. “We’ve certainly shown progress, but Mercedes is the team to beat. They’ve won almost every race; they’ve proven to be fast on every type of track and in any conditions. The Hungaroring shares some similarities with Monte Carlo, and they were fast there, too.”

Antonelli, however, rejects the role of clear favorite: “Our rivals are competitive,” he said. “Ferrari has updated its rear wing, and McLaren has a new underbody. We’re confident, but we’re not starting as winners: we need to find the right setup if we want to compete for the win.”

Kimi Antonelli currently leads the overall standings with 204 points, ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s 159 and George Russell’s 154, who is coming off a retirement in the Belgian Grand Prix (following a controversial contact with Hamilton, for which Hamilton was penalized by race control). Charles Leclerc trails further back with 126 points, while the only other driver in triple digits is reigning world champion Lando Norris, with 103 points.