Hamilton on Silverstone hopes after Austria ‘reality check’

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What is F1 TV?F1 GlossaryGet involved2026 RegulationsNewsVideosHamilton on Silverstone hopes after Austria ‘reality check’9 memorable moments from past British Grands PrixLindblad on his hopes and helmet for ‘special’ home raceWhy Bearman is ‘not surprised’ Haas have been overtaken by rivalsPlay2:22Piastri: Contest 'changing a lot from track to track' but Mercedes 'constant challenge' 2:27Antonelli: Mercedes 'very strong' but 'we expect Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari to be up there as well' Alexander AlbonFernando AlonsoKimi AntonelliOliver BearmanGabriel BortoletoValtteri BottasFranco ColapintoPierre GaslyIsack HadjarLewis HamiltonNico HulkenbergLiam LawsonCharles LeclercArvid LindbladLando NorrisEsteban OconSergio PerezOscar PiastriGeorge RussellCarlos SainzLance StrollMax VerstappenAll Drivers Hall of FameTeamsChevron DropdownAlpineAston MartinAudiCadillacFerrariHaas F1 TeamMcLarenMercedesRacing BullsRed Bull RacingWilliamsAll TeamsFantasy & GamingChevron DropdownF1 Sim RacingFantasyF1 25F1 Manager 24F1 PredictF1 ClashF1 Members' AreaMenuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-explains-hopes-ahead-of-silverstone-after-reality-check-for-ferrari-in-austria.1H8vNmwJDOjlqBrdoi0uZU.1H8vNmwJDOjlqBrdoi0uZU"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-explains-hopes-ahead-of-silverstone-after-reality-check-for-ferrari-in-austria.1H8vNmwJDOjlqBrdoi0uZU","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-explains-hopes-ahead-of-silverstone-after-reality-check-for-ferrari-in-austria.1H8vNmwJDOjlqBrdoi0uZU","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/hamilton-explains-hopes-ahead-of-silverstone-after-reality-check-for-ferrari-in-austria.1H8vNmwJDOjlqBrdoi0uZU","datePublished":"2026-07-02T16:43:33.607Z","dateModified":"2026-07-02T16:43:33.607Z","headline":"Lewis Hamilton explains hopes ahead of Silverstone after 'reality check' for Ferrari in Austria","author":"F1","description":"Lewis Hamilton has been looking ahead to what might be possible at his home event, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone – a track at which he has experienced record-breaking success.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/t_16by9Centre/f_auto/q_auto/v1783004996/fom-website/2026/Great%20Britain/Hamilton%20Britain%20Thursday.png"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}Lewis HamiltonFerrariGreat BritainShow more tagsHamilton explains hopes ahead of Silverstone after 'reality check' for Ferrari in AustriaLewis Hamilton has been looking ahead to what might be possible at his home event, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone – a track at which he has experienced record-breaking success. Lewis Hamilton has assessed his prospects for the British Grand Prix after what he labelled a “reality check” for Ferrari last time out in Austria, with the seven-time World Champion hopeful that the energy from his home crowd can bring him “that extra bit of speed”. Hamilton will return to Silverstone this weekend for his second home event since joining the Scuderia, the track being one at which he has scored a record-breaking nine victories and enjoyed plenty of memorable moments across the years. Reflecting firstly on the bond between himself, the fans and the circuit, Hamilton explained during Thursday’s media day: “It goes 20 years strong, so it's pretty deep. It's been building for a long, long time, since my first pole position here in 2007. It's phenomenal when you come here. “I heard that we're going to have the biggest crowd this weekend that we've probably ever had. It's such a privilege for us Brits to be here, representing the country, also in the height of all these great sporting moments – you've got Wimbledon going on, and the World Cup as well, with England winning yesterday which was good as well.” Looking back at the Austrian Grand Prix – where he finished in fifth place, just two weeks on from his commanding win in Barcelona – Hamilton shared further insight into why the weekend was a “reality check” for Ferrari, the squad having struggled to match the pace of their rivals. “Obviously we had some great performances before, but the fact is, as you can see in the race, we lose quite a lot of time – I think it's like four tenths of a lap we lose in a straight line, so it's hard to recover that through corners,” he explained. “I think we've got a great car, fundamentally. We've just got to continue to work until we maximise what we can and get the best results we can, and score as many points as we can until we can close that deficit.” Asked if he felt more confident about the weekend ahead at Silverstone – with the track’s faster corners being more reminiscent of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Hamilton answered: “It's not that I'm not confident, it's the fact that we've got long straights. I think this is going to be the most unprecedented weekend in terms of the power deployment.” The Briton also insisted that he is not thinking about how it would feel to clinch a 10th win at the track, but acknowledged that the team have been tapping into his expertise around the iconic circuit in their preparations for the event, which will also feature the fourth Sprint of the season. “My engineers have been asking me, how did you do it, what did you do, and how do you normally run the car here, so I hope that I've steered them in the right direction,” said Hamilton. “But we only have one practice session tomorrow, so it's going to be definitely a challenge throughout. “I'm really not thinking about the trophy. I don't think any of the drivers actually think about it. You think about just obviously executing the best you can through the weekend, trying to bring the right energy, absorbing the amazing energy that we have here from all the fans. “I think Nigel [Mansell] said it best – on your home turf you get that extra bit of speed coming from the energy from the fans, so I'm hoping that propels us and helps us close the gaps to those guys that are ahead.” F1 ACADEMY storylines to watch out for at SilverstoneHow well do drivers perform at their home race?Everything you need to know about SilverstoneThe top finds from the F1 Hub and F1 Flagship pop-up storesOUR PARTNERSView allDownload the Official F1 AppScheduleDriversNewsTeamsFantasy & GamingCookie PreferencesMoreF1FacebookXInstagramYouTube© 2003-2026 Formula One World Championship Limited