Speaking after an action-packed Chinese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton said the F1 2026 regulations have produced the \u201cbest racing\u201d he has experienced in the sport.<\/p>\n
Hamilton<\/a> went blow-for-blow with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc and Mercedes\u2019 George Russell in Shanghai, \u201cgo karting\u201d style duels which left the seven-time world champion in high spirits after the race.<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton praises F1 2026 racing after Charles Leclerc battle in China<\/p>\n Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n It started as a three-way scrap between Hamilton, Leclerc and Russell, as eventual first-time grand prix winner Kimi Antonelli scampered away out front.<\/p>\n Once Russell cleared the Ferraris, Hamilton and Leclerc treated us to a gripping ding-dong battle for the final podium position.<\/p>\n Hamilton emerged the victor, securing his first podium as a Ferrari driver, and a record-extending 203rd of his career.<\/p>\n Speaking alongside Russell and Antonelli in the post-race press conference, Hamilton was asked to reflect on that Leclerc battle, and was quizzed on whether it is easier to follow another driver in these new F1 2026 cars.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, the cars are easier to follow, much better than past years,\u201d Hamilton confirmed. \u201cYou can get very close. There\u2019s not a bad wake where you\u2019re losing too much downforce.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s the best racing that I\u2019ve ever experienced in Formula 1.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, these guys [Mercedes] are pulling past us at crazy speeds, but to be able to all be so close\u2026 It\u2019s great that we have the good start at the moment and hopefully that stays the same through the year.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven that they\u2019ve gone for a different option where they have more power, we\u2019ve got to figure out how we can improve our straight-line speed.<\/p>\n \u201cBut hopefully it was an exciting race to watch for you guys because it was awesome in the car. It felt like go-karting, back and forth, back and forth, and you could really position your car in a nice way where there was a thin piece of paper between us sometimes, but we didn\u2019t exchange any paint. I think that\u2019s down to great drivers and respect.\u201d<\/p>\n More on F1 2026 from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Why F1 2026 power unit rules have delivered exactly what fans wanted<\/a><\/p>\n Why F1 2026 has killed qualifying, and why Sprint races are the future<\/a><\/p>\n The dynamics behind overtaking are different in F1 2026. The near 50\/50 split of electrical and internal combustion engine power, means battery harvesting, deployment and super clipping all now heavily influence overtaking, and defensive opportunities.<\/p>\n Hamilton was asked whether it was tough to work out best battery usage over the winter, ahead of experiencing this new formula in action.<\/p>\n \u201cVery much so. Very much so.<\/p>\n \u201cI think in testing actually I didn\u2019t really get to experience it. It\u2019s really more in these three races that we\u2019ve had, with the Sprint race and this race and obviously Melbourne, that it\u2019s really become apparent when you\u2019re surrounded by the cars in the fight what battery usage is like, and when you have the boost, how to utilise it and all those sorts of things.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, very, very challenging.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, I don\u2019t necessarily feel a huge step compared to these guys \u2013 when the boost is there, when you\u2019re within that one second, they\u2019re still pulling away on the straight. So we overall just need more.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it is much more study, I would say, than any other era that I\u2019ve had, and you have to be very, very meticulous and pay attention to the fine detail.\u201d<\/p>\n Next up is the Japanese Grand Prix, a race which Hamilton has won five times in his career. You must go back to Michael Schumacher in 2004, though, for the most recent Ferrari driver to win the Japanese Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n