In the qualifying session for the Australian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton expressed his concern after Mercedes achieved a significant advantage over the competition, nearly eight tenths of a second ahead. The British driver questioned whether this dominance could be attributed to a possible vulnerability in the engine regulations.
The qualifying session was marked by George Russell‘s superiority, who secured pole position with a time 0.293s faster than his teammate Kimi Antonelli. The disconnect with his rivals was evident, with Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar finishing 0.785s behind Russell’s lap, while Hamilton finished seventh, 0.960s off pole.
In his comments after qualifying, Hamilton indicated that he did not understand how Mercedes had found this extra power. “I don’t exactly understand how this happened. They didn’t show this capability during testing, and now they’ve found extra power from somewhere. I hope it’s not this issue of the compression ratio, that it’s just raw power and that we need to do a better job,” he stated.
The Brit referred to the adjustment of the ignition cycle compression ratio, which has been reduced to 16:1 for the 2026 season. It seems that Mercedes has found a loophole that allows them to maintain a higher ratio in hot conditions, while FIA testing was conducted in cold conditions.
Hamilton added: “If it’s the compression ratio that is creating this performance difference, I’ll be disappointed that the FIA allowed it. It doesn’t comply with the regulations, and I will be pushing my team to find more power.”
Starting from June 1, the FIA has decided to control this compression ratio in both cold and hot conditions, but Hamilton expressed skepticism about whether this measure would be sufficient. He indicated that if Mercedes has an advantage for a few months, the season could be compromised.
Regarding his own performance, Hamilton expressed his dissatisfaction with the result following a good start in Q1, where he was third. “It was a great weekend up until Q2, and the car felt good, but in Q2 we lost power and had to pit again. The circumstances didn’t favor us,” he concluded.