Bernie Collins believes Ferrari must answer one key question to unlock Lewis Hamilton’s potential

Bernie Collins believes there are positive signs for Lewis Hamilton, despite an inconsistent start to the 2026 F1 season, but says Ferrari need to fully capitalise on their early strengths if the Briton is to build momentum.

Early in the year, Hamilton seemed better suited to the new 2026 regulations. Unlike during the ground-effect era, when he never quite found his groove with the cars, the 41-year-old appeared more at ease under this year’s chassis and aero rules.

Since then though, Hamilton has lost a bit of that early edge. He finished P6 in Japan and repeated that result in Miami, where he also took P7 in the Sprint.

A first-lap clash with Franco Colapinto cost him dearly in Miami. While Hamilton did finish seventh on track, penalties handed out after helped him move up a place. Charles Leclerc also fell back after being hit with a 20-second penalty that dropped him from sixth down to eighth.

Ferrari’s race drop-off is holding back Lewis Hamilton’s season

Leclerc’s race in Miami fell apart late on when a spin during a fight with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri for the final podium spot cost him ground. Despite Ferrari’s struggles, Bernie Collins still took away some positives from their weekend.

She pointed to the 11 upgrades Ferrari brought to Miami as a step forward, and suggested that those changes could pay off more at other circuits. But until the team can stop dropping off as races go on, both drivers are likely to feel limited by the SF-26.

“I think Lewis, maybe, didn’t have a strong weekend this weekend, and Charles Leclerc, as well, had little issues during the race,” Collins told Sky Sports News (06/05, 16:35). “Both of them had damage, Lewis very early on [and] Charles towards the end.

“But I think that Ferrari have shown signs of improvement. The gap is not that big, and I think different races will benefit different cars, depending on their performance upgrades that they bring, and depending on how their engine is performing at that track.

“We’ve seen Ferrari be very strong off the start line. So can they build around that early race pace and improve how the car handles later on? That’s going to be key. I still think there are reasons for hope if you’re backing either driver.”

The damage cost Hamilton roughly half a second per lap after an attempted move around Colapinto went wrong at Turn 11. Colapinto didn’t yield space through the corner exit after Hamilton moved outside for an overtake attempt.

This left Leclerc as Ferrari’s remaining hope in Miami but he couldn’t match McLaren’s Lando Norris or Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli over a race distance. Despite leading early on before pitting on Lap 21 – his pace wasn’t enough to stay competitive later in the event.