Lando Norris believes Ferrari would “embarrass” the rest of the Formula 1 field if they had a better engine.
Lewis Hamilton ended Mercedes’ unbeaten run on Sundays in 2026 by winning the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix and won the race by nearly 20 seconds from George Russell, with Norris another four seconds back in third.
Hamilton benefitted from a timely Virtual Safety Car but likely still would have won the Grand Prix, albeit he would needed to have overtaken Norris, Russell and Kimi Antonelli – before the Italian retired late on.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is the best test for a car’s aerodynamics due to its long corners and high-speed turns, where Ferrari had an advantage over their rivals.
Ferrari’s biggest weakness has been on the straights as their power unit is inferior to Mercedes and Red Bull. However, they have been given two opportunities to upgrade their engine this season as part of the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system.
There has been speculation they could introduce the first of those upgrades as early as this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Mercedes have one engine upgrade opportunity but Red Bull, with the best engine according to the FIA, do not.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton shares an emotional facetime call after his win in Barcelona. Is the American voice who we all think it is?
“We are lucky that Ferrari don’t have a better engine at the minute. If they had a better engine, they would be dominating,” Norris told Sky Sports F1.
“They are the class of the field in terms of cornering performance and we are not even close to them. We are a long, long way from where we need to be. If they make improvements on the engine side, they will embarrass everyone.
“We need to really get our heads down and see what improvements we can do. But the team are working very hard. Everyone back at the factory is doing the best they can. Some things take time but we need to accelerate progress because we want to stay in the fight.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Lando Norris says Lewis Hamilton answered his critics with his first Ferrari win, after revealing the seven-time world champion had received online criticism
Norris’ third place in Spain was just his second podium of the season and came after two retirements in Montreal and Monaco, where the McLaren driver suffered unreliability issues.
The reigning world champion is 83 points behind championship leader Antonelli and says McLaren “need to understand how to make the car more driveable in all conditions”.
“We were not in the fight [in the race]. They [Ferrari and Mercedes] were too quick. The fact we could keep pace with them was a nice surprise,” said Norris.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Lewis Hamilton watches back his first Ferrari win at the Barcelona-Catalunya GP in the cool down room alongside George Russell and Lando Norris
“I felt like I drove a really good race but it doesn’t mean you win, it just feels like I got everything out of the car.
“We know the car isn’t quick enough. We are working hard though and the team are doing a good job to make improvements but everyone else is making improvements as well. Ferrari are making improvements and they showed how quick they were.”
Aerodynamics and tyre performance key areas for McLaren
McLaren came into the season looking for a third consecutive Constructors’ Championship crown but are already 121 points adrift of Mercedes.
They are lacking pace slightly in all areas including in a range of cornering speeds and optimising performance from their Mercedes power unit.
But, McLaren will be buoyed by their development rate in recent years as they often make big gains for upgrades compared to their rivals.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Lando Norris says it was special to see Lewis Hamilton win for Ferrari as a fan, while also reflecting on a cool all-British podium with Hamilton and George Russell
“Spain gave us very clear indications. These indications are consistent with what we knew already,” said team principal Andrea Stella.
“We have to add grip to the car of an aerodynamic nature, so add load onto the tyres, and then we also have to improve the way we interact with the tyres in terms of qualifying preparation but in the race, reduce tyre degradation.
“Quite a clear agenda from a performance point of view. We need to add aerodynamic performance and we need to add solutions for a better tyre exploitation.”
Sky Sports F1’s Austrian GP schedule
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Look back at some of the most dramatic moments throughout the years at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Thursday June 25
2pm: Drivers’ press conference
5pm: Paddock Uncut
Friday June 26
8.50am: F3 Practice
10am: F2 Practice
12pm: Austrian GP Practice One (session starts at 12.30pm)
1.55pm: F3 Qualifying
2.30pm: Team bosses’ press conference
2.50pm: F2 Qualifying
3.35pm: Austrian GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)
5.15pm: The F1 Show
Saturday June 27
9am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: Austrian GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: Austrian GP Qualifying build-up*
3pm: AUSTRIAN GP QUALIFYING*
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday June 28
7.35am: F3 Feature Race
9.05am: F2 Feature Race
10.50am: Porsche Supercup
12.30pm: Austrian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
2pm: THE AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Austrian GP reaction: Chequered Flag
5pm: Ted’s Notebook
*Also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1’s European season continues with the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
