MEXICO CITY (AP) — Lewis Hamilton knows that another Formula One drivers title is out of reach for him this season, so now he wants to make sure his Ferrari team secures second spot in the constructors’ championship.
That’ll be an improvement on last season, and a launching pad for next.
With five races remaining on the 2026 schedule, including the Mexico Grand Prix this weekend, Hamilton is behind both Mercedes drivers in the championship with 241 points — just one point behind George Russell. Kimi Antonelli has all but secured the title with 365 points.
For the seven-time world champion, the personal achievement of overhauling Russell is less important than Ferrari’s push to hold its place behind series-leading Mercedes.
Second place “is not something I focus on. Winning the championship is the only thing I care about,” Hamilton said Thursday.
After a 12-year stint with Mercedes, where he won six of his world titles, Hamilton joined Ferrari last year with the goal of returning the team to the Prancing Horse to the top. The team placed fourth in 2025.
“There’s a good vibe and more energy this season," he said. "Last year wasn’t much fun for any of us. “We’ve come a long way.”
Ferrari now holds a 119-point lead for second place over Red Bull and McLaren, thanks to strong performances in the last three races: Hamilton finished third at the Bahrain Grand Prix, while his teammate, Charles Leclerc, took third place in both Singapore and the United States.
“In the Constructors’ Championship, both drivers have reached the podium over the last three races—between Charles and me, we’ve come a long way,” Hamilton said. “And this is just the beginning; there’s more to come.”
Ferrari has had 16 world champion drivers and has won 15 Constructors’ Championships, however, its last world champion driver was Kimi Räikkönen in 2007. Ferrari hasn't won the Constructors’ title since 2008.
“My sole focus is making sure to secure second place in the Constructors’ Championship — the team deserves it,” Hamilton said. “it’s a huge improvement over last year and something we can build on for next year.”
Following the Mexico City Grand Prix, Formula 1 is set to race in Brazili, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.
“After this weekend, I will use the races as a test for next year’s championship — looking at how we can improve the car,” Hamilton said. “That is my sole focus: ensuring we have the right brakes for next year and confirming that our engine outperforms the others.”
See AP’s full auto racing coverage here
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain gets a pit service during the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race in Austin, Texas, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (Dustin Safranek/Pool Photo via AP)
DETROIT (AP) — Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed will campaign Sunday in Detroit alongside former primary rival Rep. Haley Stevens, marking their first public appearance together in months after a week in which lingering divisions spilled into public view.
The two will be joined by South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, one of the country's most prominent Black politicians, at a get-out-the-vote event at a Detroit church, according to two people familiar with the plans who were not authorized to discuss them publicly. The event was first reported by The Associated Press.
The joint appearance — their first since a Democratic unity breakfast days after the Aug. 4 primary — follows weeks of Democrats struggling to unite behind El-Sayed following his razor-thin victory over Stevens. She received significant support from the Jewish and Black communities, leading to concerns about turnout in the general election.
Tensions again spilled into public view Wednesday when Stevens' fiancé, Jason Turkish, told The Detroit News that he would vote for Republican Mike Rogers.
Hours later, Stevens appeared on CNN to reaffirm that she would be voting for El-Sayed, but urged his campaign to “shut out the hate and call it out.” She said El-Sayed needs to reach out to people who were part of her coalition and “make them feel comfortable about coming to the polls.”
Asked Thursday evening about the upcoming event with Stevens, El-Sayed said “we’re always trying to unify the party” and that it hadn’t happened sooner because of their busy schedules. El-Sayed then criticized the reporter for the question, saying “nobody cares” about internal party dynamics when the cost of living is so high.
El-Sayed and Stevens last appeared together on Aug. 6, two days after the primary. Stevens pledged to support El-Sayed, telling CBS News she would do “whatever he wants me to do” on the campaign trail.
But divisions from the contentious primary have persisted. Nearly $60 million was spent on advertising attacking El-Sayed, including $30 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. Stevens is a staunch supporter of Israel who represents a district with a large Jewish community in Detroit’s suburbs.
The church visit on Sunday is intended to further that elusive unity, although its impact is uncertain, given that it comes just two days before the election. Michigan early voting started Oct. 24.
“We’ve got a Black and Jewish coalition that came out and voted for me in droves. And I want them to come out and vote for Democrats," Stevens said to CNN on Wednesday.
El-Sayed's criticism of Israel, past remarks and his association with controversial streamer Hasan Piker have long drawn concern from some in Michigan's large Jewish community. Turkish and others have said El-Sayed hasn't done enough to address concerns ahead of the general election.
The latest controversy centered on an ad by Rebellion PAC, an independent left-wing group, that linked U.S. support for Israel to high grocery prices.
“That has nothing to do with our campaign,” El-Sayed said of the ad. “It’s certainly not what I want to be talking about right now.”
Stevens and other Democrats urged him to go further to denounce the content of the advertisement rather than merely distancing himself from it.
Republicans face political challenges of their own, particularly voter dissatisfaction with Trump, the Iran war and high costs. Rogers has remained closely aligned with the president on most issues, appearing alongside him at a Michigan rally Sunday where he credited Trump with bringing manufacturing jobs back to the state.
The rally took place in Port Huron, just across the river from Canada, a country with deep economic ties to Michigan that Trump has targeted with tariffs.
El-Sayed has held campaign events in heavily Republican areas, including Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. His team also released an ad featuring clips of prominent conservative figures praising him, including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who has faced accusations of antisemitism that he denies.
But the ad created another source of friction with some Jewish voters.
Rabbi Aaron Starr of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield criticized both the Rebellion PAC ad and El-Sayed’s campaign ad during a call with reporters.
“We are one week away from the election, and it feels like the temperature has turned way up,” Starr said. “Instead of things getting better over the last seven weeks, they’ve actually gotten worse.”
Rogers, meanwhile, appeared Wednesday with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas at an event hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition in Birmingham, Michigan. Cruz called antisemitism “a poison that is ripping the country apart” and accused Democrats of being taken over by “self-proclaimed communists and Islamists.”
Trump has repeatedly attacked El-Sayed’s Muslim faith, calling him a “jihadist” and saying Sunday that he was “on the side of terrorists.”
Both candidates are trying to win over Black voters, particularly in Detroit's Wayne County, where Stevens defeated El-Sayed in the Democratic primary.
El-Sayed's event with Stevens and Clyburn is part of an effort to shore up support among Black voters. Much of El-Sayed's final campaign stretch has included appearances in Detroit.
Rogers has also sought to make inroads with Black voters. He visited a reading remediation program at a Detroit high school and discussed housing costs with residents in Pontiac, north of the city. Earlier this month, his wife handed out $10 gift cards at a gas station.
The gesture drew criticism from Ruby Farmer, a 68-year-old Detroit retiree.
“You’re giving out gas cards in the inner city; you never would come for any other reason,” Farmer said.
While Farmer has a bit of difficulty pronouncing El-Sayed's name, she cast her ballot for him three weeks ago anyways. El-Sayed has come out in opposition to policies by Trump — policies Farmer says directly impact her family.
“I have a special-needs son,” said Farmer. “He depends on Medicaid. Medicaid has been cut, and for home care workers in Michigan, all the benefits are on hold.”
Cappelletti reported from Washington. Mike Householder contributed from Kalamazoo, Michigan.
President Donald Trump, right, greets Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican candidate for Senate, on stage during a campaign rally at McMorran Place Sports and Entertainment Center, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in Port Huron, Mich. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas greets supporters for Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Mike Rogers during a campaign event Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Mike Rogers greets supporters during a campaign event Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Former President Barack Obama, center, joined by Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed, left, and Democratic gubernatorial nominee and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, right with Secretary of State nominee, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, second from right and Attorney General nominee Eli Savit, second from left, clasp hands after a campaign event at Cass Technical High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Detroit.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks to a crowd during a rally, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in Grand Rapids, Mich. (AP Photo/Kristen Norman)
