F1 CorrespondentPublished28 minutes agoLewis Hamilton and Ferrari are "a huge threat" for this year's world championship, according to Mercedes driver George Russell.
And Hamilton, who took his first win for Ferrari in the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix just under two weeks ago, said of a title challenge: "I don't think it's impossible."
The seven-time champion is 41 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes after his win in Spain, which confirmed he had recovered from a difficult first season with Ferrari.
Russell, who is nine points behind Hamilton, said: "It's great to see Lewis back doing what he does best.
"People were writing him off last year or even the year we were team-mates in '24. You know, 'Is he too old? Is he this? Is he that?' And then he goes and he's been smashing it for the last four or five races.
"It just shows that you don't forget how to drive overnight. You need yourself, your team, the set-up, the understanding of the tyres, everything just to click. And when it clicks, you fly.
"That's where he is at the moment and for sure he is a big threat. Ferrari are a huge threat.
"Kimi is still very much the driver out front and is performing really incredibly and consistently. But Ferrari feel like they're coming and Lewis is at the forefront of that."
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"It's going to take absolutely everyone, full hands on deck, for the rest of the year, to even come close to competing with them. But I don't think it's impossible.
"But I'm just really not thinking about that I'm competing for a championship. I'm thinking about arriving. I want to win this weekend. That's my goal."
Ferrari are recognised as having the best chassis in F1 this year, but their engine is lagging behind Mercedes.
They have their first engine upgrade for Austria this weekend, but Hamilton said it would not close the entire gap to the best engines.
"We do have a new engine," he said. "It's not whole gap, but it's a step."
Hamilton also elaborated on a remark he had made after his win in Barcelona about having incurred an injury at the track last year.
"I hit the wall very hard last year in testing," he said. "Knocked out one of the discs in my neck. Protruding into the nerve. So couldn't do a lot for nine weeks.
"So, I was just having chiropractors every day. Physio every day, I couldn't sleep. I had to get injections. I did everything I could to try to fix it.
"So, that's what I was basically trying to live with. Which is not easy in the seating position that you're sitting in."
Red Bull, who have been the least competitive of the top four teams on balance so far this year, have a major chassis upgrade for this race.
Lead driver Max Verstappen said: "Hopefully it will be a bit better and then we'll see where we end up with that."
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Fernando Alonso has reiterated his commitment to Aston Martin.
The two-time champion's remarks come after reports in some media that Alpine were interested in him for next season.
Alonso, who is 45 next month, is out of contract at the end of the year and has not yet decided whether to stay on in F1.
But he has reiterated a point he has made many times before about wanting to stay involved with Aston Martin whether or not he continues driving in F1.
"I want to win a world championship with Aston Martin, with or without driving," Alonso said. "That's still the same commitment in my case."
Alonso said he believed that the arrival of Adrian Newey as managing technical partner, in combination was engine partner Honda means, "this team has certain guarantees that it will succeed and it will fight for world championships.
"We don't know if that will be next year, in three years' time or in eight years' time. That's probably my limitation behind the wheel."
On his future, he added: "I have not taken any decision. I will wait until probably summer break, which is August. After summer is Zandvoort, Monza. I think around that time I will probably decide what to do next year.
"I will keep racing because I am feeling fast and I feel motivated and I love what I do. I will not stop now because I don't feel uncompetitive or I don't feel that I enjoy racing.
"If I race in Formula 1 or not, that's a different story. I need to enjoy the category, I need to enjoy the feeling of driving this power unit and these regulations. There are many factors to put in place and there are many options to race in the world of motorsport.
"I still love Formula 1. I am committed to this team also. So even if I don't race, my commitment with the team and with the project is the same and still the same as what it has been for years now.
"If we can reverse this situation and make the car fast and competitive also in the future or as soon as next year is also an appealing target.
"I never give up and I will not give up now for some difficulties and some slow start. If someone thinks that we will give up now, they don't know the last 25 years of my life."
