Lewis Hamilton jokes he needs to undo bolts on the Mercedes cars to derail their Formula 1 Title charge

The Ferrari driver has been resurgent in his second season with the team and is the only non-Mercedes driver to win a race in 2026 and is currently third in the F1 Drivers' Championship, 46 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli and six points shy of George Russell in second.

Hamilton was facing the media ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix, his home race, which he had won a record nine times, and was quizzed on how he could fight for the title.

"I think other than me going into Mercedes' garage and undoing the bolts!" he joked. "Look, I mean, Mercedes is a phenomenal team. You're seeing them perform at such an amazing level, and it's really beautiful to see when a team's fully in synergy.

"And what they've brought and what they've done this year is mighty, and I think it's going to take a huge amount for anyone to close them down."

Hamilton also acknowledged the improvement Red Bull Racing showed in Austria after their car upgrade, with Max Verstappen finishing the race second.

"You've seen now also Red Bull have really taken a step," he pointed out. "They made a massive step in the last race. So undoubtedly, I imagine Max is going to be a big contender for it.

"And he's got the power also to match the Mercedes. So, I anticipate they're going to be really strong," he added, hinting at the FIA's ADUO evaluation that claimed Red Bull Racing had the best Internal Combustion Engine.

Ferrari, on the other hand, have shown that they have a handy chassis in their SF-26 but are underpowered.

Hamilton: "I think we as a team, we have to just continue to believe, continue to just stay calm, and keep working.

"We just have to extract everything we can from each weekend, and even, if possible, a little bit more than maybe what performance-wise is possible.

"And then there are going to be some tracks where it neutralizes a bit, like I would imagine, Budapest might be a little bit of a closer battle because it's not got long straights. We need more of those sorts of circuits, to be honest.

"But yeah, I think it's also too early. I mean, Kimi is far ahead," he admitted. "That is still a lot of points ahead, and he pulled some more points ahead in the last race.

"So that's why I said it's a good reality check for us, but it's not over till it's over. Every single person is so geared up and pushing as much as they can, so that's all I can ever ask for," Hamilton concluded.

Strangely though, Hamilton did not mention Russell in his answer...