McLaren concedes Ferrari now has F1's best chassis after Hamilton's debut win in Barcelona

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has handed Ferrari an extraordinary compliment, declaring the Scuderia’s upgraded SF-26 the best chassis in Formula 1 after Lewis Hamilton claimed his first win for the team at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

Hamilton qualified second — his first front-row start in Ferrari red — before beating George Russell’s Mercedes on Sunday. The victory came on the back of Ferrari’s most extensive upgrade package of the season, which centred on a revised front wing and nose assembly, a significant floor redesign, and changes to the diffuser and sidepod bodywork, all aimed at generating more downforce while improving aerodynamic efficiency and balance.

“I think this race gives us very clear indications,” Stella told media after the race. “These indications are that Ferrari, at the moment, is the car with the best chassis. We see in the middle sector, especially in the medium-speed corner, that Ferrari is the fastest in the corners, not necessarily the fastest in the straights.”

Stella was careful to note that Mercedes retains an overall advantage through the strength of its power unit, meaning the Silver Arrows remain a formidable package despite Ferrari’s chassis edge. The Barcelona circuit, widely regarded as one of the most reliable benchmarks for assessing relative car performance, lent particular weight to his assessment.

Whether Hamilton would have prevailed without the assistance of a Virtual Safety Car — which allowed him to lose less time than his rivals during his final pit stop — remains a point of debate. Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur, however, insisted Hamilton had sufficient pace to beat the Mercedes drivers regardless.

For McLaren, the weekend offered a more sobering read. Lando Norris salvaged third place only after Kimi Antonelli retired, having spent the bulk of the race unable to match the pace of the two Mercedes ahead of him.

“From a McLaren point of view, we are competitive in the high-speed corners,” Stella acknowledged, “but overall we struggle with grip in medium-speed and low-speed. Very clear indications, as we knew already, that we have to add grip to the car of an aerodynamic nature — add load onto the tyres.”

The admission underlines how quickly the competitive order can shift in the current F1 cycle, with Ferrari’s Barcelona upgrade appearing to mark a genuine step forward in the title fight.