Lewis Hamilton is feeling positive after a strong qualifying session at the F1 British GP saw him clinch P5 for Sunday’s starting grid.
The Ferrari driver felt that the team had made significant progress following a difficult start to the season. Having faced a number of issues getting accustomed to the SF25, Hamilton currently sits sixth in the championship, 28 points behind his teammate Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton: Front row was a possibility for F1 British GP
Tweaks to the set-up of Hamilton’s car played a major role in the British driver’s impressive result, he expressed.
“I’m really pleased with the progress,” he said in the print media pen. “I’m really pleased with the direction. My engineer and I have been really doing a lot better in terms of how we set the car up.”
However, a bout of understeer at the final corner cost him vital time, hurting the lap he was completing – in which he was recording personal best sectors up until that point. Had it not been for that mishap, Hamilton believes he could have placed on the front row for Sunday’s race.
“I was much happier in the car. The lap was really, really nice up until the last corner, just a bit of understeer. I don’t know if it’s the kerb that put me a little wide, but then I just lost it.
“I think it’s just over a tenth, so that would definitely have put me on the front row.”
Fluctuating weather conditions over the weekend have posed extra challenges for teams. Friday saw temperatures of 25 degrees C and above, which seemed to work in Ferrari’s favour, with Hamilton finishing on top of the first free practice session, and third later in the day.
“The up and down conditions definitely were challenging,” said Hamilton. “I think when it got a little cooler, it definitely was not as good for us as it was when it was hotter.”
When asked what kind of result Hamilton might be expecting from Sunday’s race, he said: “I don’t know. I’ve got four really fast cars ahead of me.”
Hamilton: Ferrari has “more progress to make”
Hamilton’s progress in the SF25 has been dependent on adaptations to the car’s set-up. While Hamilton has moved slightly more towards teammate Leclerc’s setup, he stated that he is satisfied with where his car is currently at.
“We’re not far apart,” he said of Leclerc. “Our set-ups are different, but more using that method, so it’s more in that direction, but he is on a different setup. He’s got something quite a bit different to me, which I didn’t want to go to, but I was happy with my car.”
While Hamilton feels there is still room for improvement for Ferrari, he expressed that the team has made significant strides in the way it approaches a race weekend:
“We are making progress. There’s still more to make, but we obviously had the upgrade in the last race. We are improving our process, the way we go about our weekends.
“It definitely feels like we’re punching out better results, so we’ve just got to keep pushing.”
And despite the better results, there is still one major hurdle – the other cars on the grid. With Verstappen back on top in pole position, and McLaren not far behind, Ferrari faces some tough competition for this upcoming F1 British GP, and for the races ahead.
“I think at the end we had a bit of low-speed understeer, which is inherent with this car,” said Hamilton. “I think we’re overdriving to get that extra bit of time. And [on] actual pure pace, I don’t think the car is as quick naturally as the cars ahead.
“We’re probably having to go a little bit too far over, which is where the car is super picky. We need a little bit more performance to come.”
Hamilton ready to attack during F1 British GP
When asked if he feels that tomorrow could have a special result in store, Hamilton refused to entertain any wishful thinking:
“I’m not even going to bother thinking about it. Tomorrow will be what it’s going to be. I’ll get some good rest tonight and I’ll come and attack as best I can tomorrow.”
Still, there’s no doubt that Ferrari has made some major progress in qualifying pace, if nothing else. Hamilton detailed that Q3 had posed problems for the car in the past, but positive steps have been made:
“In pretty much all the other sessions, the second run in Q3 has always been a little bit harder but today I was progressing which was positive. I’ve taken a step there and I think there’s still more to come.”
But when asked if this is something that might be completely resolved this season, he said: “I’m not sure it will be.”
In his first season at Ferrari, support from Hamilton’s fans has been pretty unwavering:
“It’s been amazing,” he said. “It’s been amazing to be in the red car here, to see Brits shift from the outfits that we had previous to now to red and embracing the Ferrari badge, it’s pretty amazing. The support’s been incredible. My family’s here, which is great.”
