Can Lewis Hamilton stop Mercedes? His cheeky reply goes viral

Lewis Hamilton has joked that he will have to “unscrew the screws” on Mercedes’ cars if he wants a real chance of winning a record eighth Formula 1 drivers’ championship this season. The Ferrari driver made the sly remark ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, acknowledging that Mercedes have been the benchmark team this season.

Mercedes have dominated the season so far, winning seven of the first eight races, while 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli leads the drivers’ standings by 46 points ahead of Hamilton.

“Apart from going to the Mercedes garage and loosening the screws…,” Hamilton joked when asked what it would take to make himself a championship contender. “Mercedes is a phenomenal team. You see them performing at such an amazing level. It’s really beautiful to see a team fully in synergy and what they’ve brought and what they’ve done this year is tremendous. I think it’s going to take a huge amount for anyone to shut them down.”

Hamilton heads into his home race buoyed by his maiden victory for Ferrari in Spain last monthwhich ended Antonelli’s five-game winning streak. Previous back-to-back second-place finishes have also reignited speculation that the seven-time world champion could still mount an unlikely challenge for a record eighth title, even as Mercedes continue to dominate qualifying and race pace.

Lewis Hamilton’s FULL answer to ‘Is it realistic to see you as the championship winner this year?’

“I think apart from going to the Mercedes garage and loosening the screws . . .”

“Look, I mean, Mercedes is a phenomenal team and you see them performing in something like this pic.twitter.com/grffXGDnqT– sim (@simscircuit) July 2, 2026

Despite the dismal margin, Hamilton insisted he is not giving up on the title race. “We as a team just have to keep believing, stay calm. We have to get everything we can out of every weekend and even if possible a little more than what is performance-wise possible. It’s also too early to talk about the title. Kimi is way ahead, but it’s not over until it’s over. Every person is so fired up and pushing as hard as they can, so it’s even possible.”

MERCEDES GETS HEAT

Mercedes have emerged as the team to beat in 2026, taking victory in seven of the opening eight Grands Prix and securing pole position in every race this season.

Antonelli, who is enjoying a sensational rookie campaign, has established himself as the championship leader after eight rounds. The Italian finished third in last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, while team-mate George Russell took the win and Hamilton crossed the line in fifth.

Hamilton, who won six of his seven world championships with Mercedes before moving to Ferrari, acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing his new team but insisted the championship fight is far from over.

The nine-time British Grand Prix winner will now build on Ferrari’s recent progress at Silverstone and hope a strong home result can further reduce the deficit on Antonelli as the season nears its halfway point.

– The end

Published on:

02 Jul 2026 22:35 IST