Lewis Hamilton on eighth Formula 1 title this time with Ferrari? "Never say never!"

Hamilton heads into the weekend on the back of consecutive runner-up finishes in Canada and Monaco, matching his best Grand Prix result since joining Ferrari and moving up to second in the championship standings.

The Briton now trails Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli by 66 points, while holding a narrow two-point advantage over teammate George Russell.

Speaking on Thursday in Barcelona, Hamilton said Ferrari's progress this season had not come as a surprise after a difficult 2025 campaign: "I knew we would get to this point at some point. I knew that last year was a building year, and I knew that if we acted on the things that I'd asked for, we would eventually get to where we're going.

"We still have work to do; we're still not there just yet, but the things that I was asking for last year, I've got a car that I've had input into, helped develop, adding things to new ways that we work together. Fred has been great in collaborating with me, and it feels great to be part of that and see progress," Hamilton told reporters.

The improved form marks a significant turnaround for Hamilton, who failed to score a Sunday podium finish throughout the 2025 season but has now claimed three podiums from the opening seven races of 2026.

While Hamilton acknowledged Mercedes still held advantages, particularly with its power unit, he believes Ferrari can close the gap: "In terms of the title, I think we can still outdo people in terms of how we develop the car. Our car is very good; the downforce package that we have is really good.

"We're going to have to double up and make sure that we're always one step ahead of everyone in terms of advancing so we can go through the corners quicker and catch up the deficit we may lose down the straights," ventured Hamilton.

Ferrari has shown improved competitiveness in recent races, particularly on circuits where aerodynamic performance has outweighed outright straight-line speed.

Hamilton said further gains could come from improving the efficiency of the package rather than simply adding more downforce: "We can improve efficiency, so we can maybe improve on drag to try and close that gap in speed.

"And there are a lot of different things happening in these different tracks, so never say never, and we're just going to keep pushing and give it absolutely everything," he added.

With Antonelli enjoying a run of five consecutive victories for Mercedes, Ferrari faces a significant challenge to cut into the championship lead.

However, Hamilton's recent form has given the Italian team renewed belief as Formula 1 returns to a circuit that traditionally provides one of the clearest measures of overall car performance. The seven time F1 World Champion has not won a Grand Prix sine Belgium in 2024.