Lewis Hamilton secured a solid fourth-place finish for Ferrari at the F1 Austrian GP, delivering a much-needed boost for the Scuderia after a string of difficult weekends.
Strong finish in Austria amid ongoing struggles
Despite the encouraging result, Hamilton appeared frustrated with the performance of his SF-25. While he acknowledged a strong start and an intense battle with former teammate George Russell, the seven-time world champion continues to wrestle with the car’s handling and overall balance.
“I did get a great start. I had a great battle with George from Turn 1 all the way to Turn 6. I managed to hold on to it on the outside which was pretty awesome.
“After that the car didn’t feel too bad, I was able to hold on for a second but then I was really struggling with the balance and we have brake issues. So having to manage these brakes really early on which was definitely losing us some time. That’s something I’m really pushing to get fixed because that’s not great. And then just rebalance, I was really struggling just to rebalance.”
Progress made, but realistic expectations remain
While Hamilton has become increasingly comfortable with the Ferrari and the car has undergone notable improvements, the British driver remains skeptical about his prospects at next week’s British Grand Prix. When asked if there’s more to extract, he replied bluntly: “I doubt it.”
Ferrari’s upgraded floor is a step forward explained Hamilton:
“I think we’ve moved forwards. I think the upgrade was quite small so we didn’t really know. They didn’t even mention any time because it was that small.
“But I think perhaps there was a bigger result from putting the floor on. And so that’s a real positive. It’s really great to see the team bringing the upgrade and us moving forwards.”
Despite the ongoing issues, Hamilton acknowledged Ferrari’s strong performance over the weekend.
“We’ve been the second fastest this weekend, getting third and fourth is a real positive. So there’s lots of good things to take from the weekend. And there’s lots of areas to focus on.”
Qualifying gains offset by race pace concerns
Hamilton acknowledged the progress, saying Ferrari is moving in the right direction, even as some issues remain like in qualifying on Saturday.
“Qualifying was better, we found a problem that I had in my qualifying lap which lost me a tenth due to some issue on the car. So that’s again a positive. But I would have gone backwards if I had started second anyways. So I’ve got a fine race pace, let’s keep going.”
Still, Hamilton expressed clear frustration over his lack of competitiveness during the race. When asked if his race pace had improved, the Briton didn’t mince words: “For me, no. I’m still losing massive ground. To lose eight seconds, nine seconds to Charles is just not good enough. So that’s what I’ve got to work on.”
While cautiously optimistic, Hamilton remains realistic about Ferrari’s chances of challenging McLaren at the front of the grid. Despite recent improvements, he admitted there’s still a significant gap to close.
“Well, compared to McLaren, I don’t think anyone’s catching them. But never say never. Hopefully with our next upgrade, hopefully that works the way we hope it works. And maybe that will bring us a little bit closer. But we’re not a minute down this weekend, which is great.”
Focus on 2026
Looking ahead, Hamilton emphasized the importance of shifting development focus to the 2026 car – a move he believes is already well underway across the paddock.
“We should be fully focused on, in terms of development, onto next year’s car soon. So I’m sure all the teams are doing that already. I know Mercedes is already super focused on next year. The key is going to be developing that engine. And making sure that whoever comes up with the right philosophy for next year, suspension-wise, everything.”
In the meantime, the seven-time world champion is working closely with his engineers to address lingering issues with the current SF-25.
“And I’m trying to work with the engineers to make sure we rectify some of the issues with this car. Because there’s a few problems that need fixing.”
Setup challenges: Adapting to a different driving style
For the Austrian Grand Prix, Hamilton chose a car setup more in line with that of his teammate Charles Leclerc, as he confirmed: “The setup is a little closer to Charles [Leclerc], yeah.”
However, the British driver admitted that his driving style doesn’t naturally align with Leclerc’s, and adapting to such a fundamentally different setup requires time – something he’s still working through.
“Just struggling with the balance. He drives a massively oversteering car. Somehow slides the rears and doesn’t have degradation. When I slide the rears, I get massive degradation.
“So it’s definitely something I think you have to… Supposedly it took Carlos a couple of years to get used to. I don’t want to do that. I think I’m improving. As I said, I’m a lot closer in quali[fying]. Didn’t have the race pace though.”
Looking forward to Silverstone: Home race excitement
Next weekend, Hamilton will race the SF-25 at his home Grand Prix in Silverstone for the first time – a prospect that clearly excites the British driver.
“Yeah, absolutely. I still love being at Ferrari. Going and seeing the British flag. There will be some red caps there.”
Questioning the call
During the Austrian GP, Hamilton vehemently questioned Ferrari’s call to pit him for fresh tyres with 20 laps remaining. Reflecting on the moment, he explained his mindset and ultimately agreed that the team had made the right call.
“Yeah, I didn’t know how many laps there were to be honest at the time. Honestly, the pace wasn’t looking great. But I felt like I could keep going. The balance was okay. But it wouldn’t have made a difference. So I think it was the right decision.”
