Lewis Hamilton isn't buying the narrative that Ferrari's smaller turbo gives them an edge in Mexico City. After a rough Friday at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the seven-time champion pushed back hard against claims the power unit design suits high-altitude racing. He reckons the real story is much simpler: Mercedes and Red Bull are still pulling away on the straights, and that's costing him around two to three tenths per lap.
More F1 news: Ferrari Looking Quickest in Mexico, But Vasseur Warns: Don't Get Ahead of Yourselves
It was a tough opening day for Hamilton compared to his teammate Charles Leclerc, who absolutely owned both practice sessions. Leclerc set the pace at the top with a 1:18.128 in FP1 and followed up with a 1:17.827 in FP2, leaving Hamilton way down the order. Things went from bad to worse when Hamilton's engine conked out entirely after just 28 minutes of track time in the afternoon, forcing him to park the SF-26 trackside. Ferrari's still investigating what went wrong and whether they'll need to swap in a fresh power unit before Saturday.
More F1 news: Leclerc Dominates Mexico Friday as Hamilton's Power Unit Ruins His Session
When Hamilton spoke to the media about Ferrari's turbo advantage theory, he was having none of it. He pointed out that Mercedes and Red Bull are still absolutely flying down the straights, just like they do at every other race. The turbo design simply isn't making the difference some paddock figures like George Russell have suggested. It's the power delivery where Ferrari's struggling, plain and simple.
More F1 news: Leclerc Sweeps Mexico Friday as Verstappen and Lawson Collide at Hermanos Rodriguez
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur disagreed with his driver's assessment, saying the smaller turbo will indeed help once everyone fine-tunes their setups for Saturday's qualifying and race. He acknowledged that Mexico City's extreme altitude and unique conditions require completely different approaches than most other circuits on the calendar. But Hamilton's having none of that either, and the data from Friday backed up his stance. Gabriel Bortoleto hit 352kph in FP2, while Hamilton could only manage 349kph alongside Charles. That tells you everything you need to know about where Ferrari's real problems lie.
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