Hamilton on how Ferrari 'hit the sweet spot' in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, 4 OCTOBER 2026 —

Lewis Hamilton secured second place on the grid for the Formula One Grand Prix in Malaysia, a result he attributed to Ferrari finding “the sweet spot” in the car’s balance during the final moments of qualifying at the Sepang International Circuit.

The event represents Formula One’s first visit to the Sepang International Circuit since 2017, a gap that introduced substantial uncertainty into the competitive landscape. During the three hours of practice sessions, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes all took turns topping the times, leaving the qualifying session wide open. Hamilton, who had finished behind his teammate Charles Leclerc in the preceding practice sessions, initially appeared to be outside the front-row mix.

However, his final lap in the third qualifying segment (Q3) produced a performance that surprised even the driver, earning him the second-highest time on the board. Hamilton noted that his prior experience racing in Malaysia provided a slim advantage, allowing him to capitalize on the track’s specific demands during his return.

The extreme heat at Sepang posed a severe challenge for all teams, affecting tire performance, car mechanics, and the physical endurance of the garage crews. Hamilton described the conditions as making it a “massive challenge” for the tires and the car, noting that the vehicles were sliding and the tires were overheating. These factors made finding a stable balance exceptionally difficult throughout the practice sessions.

Ferrari implemented numerous changes during the weekend, but it was a final adjustment made immediately before qualifying that Hamilton said allowed the team to hit the “sweet spot.” He expressed gratitude to his team for their efforts in managing these technical difficulties, emphasizing the difficulty of maintaining consistency under such thermal stress.

Hamilton highlighted the competitive gap to the front, noting that he was able to close the distance to Verstappen to within two or three tenths of a second. He praised the Red Bull driver for being “so quick all weekend,” while expressing his own elation at producing a strong result on his return to the circuit.

The British driver also commented on the atmosphere, stating that he believed this was the biggest crowd he had ever seen at Sepang during his time as a driver. He thanked Malaysia for its warm welcome, citing the energy of the fans as a positive aspect of the weekend despite the harsh environmental conditions.

Despite the successful qualifying performance, Hamilton cautioned that the improvements made to the car’s balance may not translate directly to the Grand Prix. He emphasized that tire degradation is expected to play a significant role in the race, presenting a different set of challenges compared to the single-lap focus of qualifying.

Hamilton stated that he is “much happier with where the car is,” but warned that the race is a “completely different ballgame.” He explained that the tires are overheating from the start, meaning that every instance of wheelspin or sudden acceleration, influenced by wind conditions, will impact how far the car can go before the tires fail.

Teammate Charles Leclerc, who had set the fastest time in the second free practice session, settled for fifth place in qualifying. However, he is set to gain a position on the grid, starting fourth, once Isack Hadjar’s five-place grid penalty for taking a new engine is imposed. Leclerc appeared more frustrated than Hamilton, citing balance issues that impacted his lap times in Q3.

He explained that he began losing performance from Q2, particularly when pushing the car, with the rear end struggling. By the time he reached Q3, he felt the car was “a little bit overbalanced,” which hindered his ability to match Hamilton’s pace.

Leclerc remained optimistic about the race prospects, describing the qualifying result as not bad overall. He acknowledged that Hamilton produced a “super lap” and likely left little on the table, while positioning himself to fight for positions against the drivers ahead. He noted that the team is relatively close to the frontrunning rivals, though he observed that Mercedes, which had been extremely strong in practice, appeared less dominant in qualifying than expected.

Leclerc predicted that Mercedes would return to its normal form during the race, making it difficult to beat them. He concluded that the race should be interesting, with the team aiming to hold onto its position against the quick long-run pace demonstrated by Verstappen.