Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari’s season can still rank as a “huge achievement” if they finish in the top three of the Drivers’ Championship, asking critics to “look at the positives” of the team’s year despite recent setbacks.

Hamilton and Ferrari’s hopes of winning this years world title have faded in recent races, with the Briton not finishing on the podium since the British Grand Prix at the start of July.

A first race retirement of the season last time out in Madrid saw third-placed Hamilton fall over 100 points back on championship-leading Kimi Antonelli for the first time this season, with the seven-time champion all-but conceding the title.

Antonelli’s overall lead at the top of the standings is 81 points over Mercedes team-mate George Russell.

Asked about his own championship prospects heading into weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the season’s 15th of a scheduled 23 rounds, Hamilton said: “Well, I mean, he’s 101 points ahead of me.

“Just in two races he gained something like 40-odd points on me, and we’ve been working so hard to gain just a couple of points here and there.

“There is still a long way to go and I think the focus for me is, if we can hold on to second – if not somehow catch Mercedes – for the constructors’, I think that would be remarkable.

“I think it’s also just having to think about where we were last year and where we’ve come to this year and whilst it sometimes seems doom and gloom, you actually have to look at the positives.”

Ferrari endured a winless 2025 campaign and slipped to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, with Hamilton himself experiencing a difficult first campaign in red with no podiums for the first time in his career.

But he won for the first time at June’s Spanish Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc triumphing two races later at Silverstone.

Hamilton added: “We’ve been fighting, we’ve had wins and podiums, the team have done an incredible job in terms of bringing upgrades, so you really have to acknowledge the good things that we’ve done this year.

“I know lots of people focus on the negatives. For me, again, if I can battle with George and somehow get ahead of him, which would be very difficult as Mercedes are the leaders… if at the end of the year, managing to stay in the top three, even second, I think would be a huge achievement for us as a team.”

Hamilton is 20 points behind Russell, his former Mercedes team-mate, in the standings.

‘I believe we can make improvements’

Ferrari have consistently looked competitive early on in race weekends but the team’s recent results have often been compromised by operational and strategic issues within their own control.

“I think there’s positives to take out of the last few races, it’s just they haven’t been, I would say, the best in terms of execution and we’ve not had the best results,” said Hamilton.

“But the positives we take forwards and we try and learn from the areas we weren’t as good. I believe we can make improvements and I think we have.

“I’m excited for this weekend.”

Russell: I feel confident I can fight for victories again

The Spanish Grand Prix a fortnight ago also saw Russell fall a season-high margin behind Antonelli, who has won the last two grands prix to take his tally to eight overall in an extraordinary second campaign of F1 so far.

Russell, the pre-season title favourite, has spoken openly about his difficulties in meshing his natural driving style to the all-new 2026 cars but believes the situation is improving, saying in Baku on Wednesday that “I’ve been making very good progress and feel confident I can fight for victories again”.

He underlined the importance of continuing that trend all through the rest of this season ahead relatively stable winter of regulations into 2027.

“I think it is very important to try and resolve some issues, which, as I mentioned before, I think I’ve been pleased with that progress since the summer break,” said Russell.

“The race pace, which was a weakness, has been substantially better and has been in the mix every single race since the break.

“And I now feel more comfortable that I can fight for great results.

“Let’s see from now until the end of the season how the points could fall out. But next year is going to be pretty similar. Not much has changed with the chassis, not much has changed with the power units. Maybe the tyres are going to be slightly different from what we hear. So, it’s important I continue to build.”

Although he has effectively ruled himself out of title contention, Russell says his approach to each race weekend will not change.

“I’m going to keep fighting every single race until it’s mathematically impossible,” he stressed.

“But it doesn’t change how I go about my job. I want to try and win every single race and put it on pole every single race. That’s my goal.

“That’s what I’m working towards every single weekend, and what happens thereafter will be. And there’s obviously a huge deficit, but it’s not even really a consideration right now. It’s just the performance is the biggest priority.”

Sky Sports F1’s Azerbaijan GP live schedule

Thursday September 24
6.55am: F2 Practice
9am: Azerbaijan GP Practice One (session starts at 9.30am)*
10.55am: F2 Qualifying*
12pm: Team Bosses’ Press Conference
12.30pm: Azerbaijan GP Practice Two (session starts at 1pm)
2.15pm: The F1 Show

Friday September 25
5.10am: F2 Sprint*
9.15am: Azerbaijan GP Practice Three (session starts at 9.30am)*
11.10am: F2 Feature Race 1*
12.30pm: Azerbaijan GP Qualifying build-up*
1PM: AZERBAIJAN GP QUALIFYING*
3pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Saturday September 26
7.55am: F2 Feature Race 2
10.30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Azerbaijan GP build-up*
12PM: THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX*
2pm: Chequered Flag: Azerbaijan GP reaction*
3pm: Ted’s Notebook*

*also live on Sky Sports Main Event

Racing on a Saturday! The 2026 Formula 1 season continues live on Sky Sports F1 this week as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicks off a triple-header of races, with the Baku race taking place on Saturday at midday. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime

Sky Sports and Cricket South Africa have extended their longstanding partnership, with Sky Sports and NOW to exclusively broadcast the England men’s three-Test and three-ODI tour of South Africa this winter.

England’s three-Test series against South Africa will take place across December and January, marking England’s first Test tour of South Africa in seven years.

The series follows England’s first-ever home Test series whitewash of Pakistan and will be Stephen Fleming’s first series in charge as England men’s Test head coach.

The Test series will be followed by three ODIs in January, as England prepare for the ICC Men’s World Cup 2027, which will take place across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in October and November next year.

Sky Sports will broadcast live coverage of a packed schedule of international cricket from South Africa, with Australia men’s tour getting under way this Thursday with the first of three ODIs in Durban, followed by three Tests.

The schedule will then continue with tours involving Bangladesh, India Women and Australia Women through to April.

Sky Sports has broadcast cricket from South Africa for more than three decades, including live coverage of every England men’s Test series in the country during that period.

The agreement further strengthens Sky Sports’ position as the home of cricket, broadcasting all home England men’s and women’s international and domestic cricket, with the men’s Ashes on home soil next summer set to be a major highlight.

Men’s international matches

Australia Tour to South Africa 2026/2027

• September 24, first ODI, Durban
• September 27, second ODI, Johannesburg
• September 30, third ODI, Potchefstroom
• October 9, first Test, Durban
• October 18, second Test, Gqeberha
• October 27 third Test, Cape Town

Bangladesh Tour to South Africa 2026/2027

• November 15, first Test, Johannesburg
• November 23, second Test, Centurion
• December 1, first ODI, East London
• December 4, second ODI, Gqeberha
• December 7, third ODI, Cape Town
• December 10, first T20 International, Kimberley
• December 12, second T20 International, Benoni
• December 13, third T20 International, Centurion

England Tour to South Africa 2026/2027

• December 17, first Test, Johannesburg
• December 26, second Test, Centurion
• January 3, third Test, Cape Town
• January 10, first ODI, Paarl
• January 13, second ODI, Bloemfontein
• January 15, third ODI, Bloemfontein

Women’s international matches

India Women’s Tour to South Africa 2026/2027

• December 9, first ODI, Potchefstroom
• December 12, second ODI, Bloemfontein
• December 15, third ODI, Cape Town
• December 20, only Test, Gqeberha
• December 26, first T20 International, Benoni
• December 29, second T20 International, Potchefstroom
• December 30, third T20 International, Potchefstroom

Australia Women’s Tour to South Africa 2026/2027

• March 18, first T20 International, Kimberley
• March 21, second T20 International, Benoni
• March 23, third T20 International, KuGompo City
• March 27, first ODI, Gqeberha
• March 31, second ODI, Paarl
• April 3, third ODI, Durban
• April 8, only Test, Potchefstroom

Watch the first ODI between South Africa’s Men and Australia from 8.30am on Thursday on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports + Latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract on NOW.

Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns will take on Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im in the first match of Thursday’s fourballs at the Presidents Cup, as captains Brandt Snedeker and Geoff Ogilvy revealed their pairings for the opening session.

Snedeker’s Team USA are looking to extend their winning streak to 11 consecutive victories over the International team at Medinah Country Club this week, with International Team skipper Ogilvy admitting he was “optimistic” of his team’s chances on Wednesday.

Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele were picked to go out in match two and will take on Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune.

Snedeker has chosen to pair experienced Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup player Justin Thomas alongside 21-year-old rookie Jackson Koivun for match three.

They’ll take on Canadian Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria of Colombia.

A blockbuster group will go out in the fourth match of the day, with two-time major champions Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa facing the reigning Open champion Ryan Fox and 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott.

Chris Gotterup will pair with Patrick Cantlay in the final game of the fourballs session against Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim.

Match one will get under way at 5.35pm (UK and Ireland time), live on Sky Sports Golf, with the International team set to take the honours off the tee.

Thursday fourballs and tee times (all UK and Ireland time)

Match 1 (1735): Scheffler/Burns vs Lee/Im

Match 2 (1753): Young/Schauffele vs Matsuyama/Hisatsune

Match 3 (1811): Thomas/Koivun vs Conners/Echavarria

Match 4 (1829): Clark/Morikawa vs Fox/Scott

Match 5 (1847): Gotterup/Cantlay vs T. Kim/S.W. Kim

Scheffler, Burns out to end unwanted record

Despite being good friends, Scheffler and Burns have struggled together in past team events, with the duo having fallen to an underwhelming record of 0-3-1 in four matches at the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup.

“Do I think we have unfinished business? I don’t know if I would call it that,” Burns said.

“It’s been frustrating the times we have played together, and we feel like we’ve played really well and ultimately not won,” Burns said. “It’s been more frustrating than anything.

“Yeah, this week we’re going to go out and compete as hard as we can and try to get as many points for the US team as possible.”

Team USA captain Snedeker also surprised fans by choosing to separate friends Cantlay and Schauffele, who have regularly paired together in team events over the years. Jim Furyk similarly opted to part the duo for the opening fourballs of the 2024 Presidents Cup.

Thomas teams up with rookie Koivun

Snedeker delved into his decision to pair up Koivun and Thomas, explaining it was an easy pick given how well the two pair together.

“Jackson being a young kid, I feel like he’s really kind of found his way on our team really quickly,” Snedeker said on Wednesday. “I feel like he’s handled the adjustment really well. Justin is just a natural pairing for him.

“He’s somebody he’s comfortable with. He’ll do a great job putting his arm around him and show him how USA golf is meant to be played.”

Koivun explained earlier on Wednesday that Thomas had been a mentor for him over the past few years.

“He and Russell Henley have been really good to me over the past couple years,” Koivun said. “Just really being able to spend some time in a team environment with them has been awesome.

Fox taking inspiration from Europe’s Ryder Cup stars

Fox is hoping the International Team can channel the energy of Team Europe at the 2025 Ryder Cup and are motivated to win for Scott, who is playing in his 12th Presidents Cup.

“For us, we’ve always been the underdogs in this,” Fox said.

“But I feel like on paper the European Ryder Cup team is always the underdogs a little bit, and that hasn’t seemed to affect their results at all over the last few years.

“We’re trying to channel a little bit of that and come together.

“We do have a chance to do something incredible when we’ve got a couple of guys on the team who have played a lot of these that we really want to get a win for. That’s our motivation. I mean, Adam [Scott] especially.

“We’re trying to flip the pressure on the US. I feel like they’re expected to win, and if we can get on top early and create some pressure, more pressure will come on them from other places, and hopefully we can take advantage of that.”

Who will win the Presidents Cup? Watch the United States take on the International Team exclusively live on Sky Sports, with all four days live from Thursday on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream golf and more with no contract.

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