Ferrari came into the Spanish GP on a high after securing their second podium position of the season in Monaco. The hope was that they could carry on their good form into Barcelona. After looking fast on Friday, the proof was in the qualifying sessions, and the Scuderia didn’t look like they had the pace.
Lewis Hamilton managed to put his SF-25 in P5 but was half a second off the pole position time set by Oscar Piastri. Charles Leclerc was further tenth back after only completing one run in Q3. However, the Monégasque will start in P7. So, what can the Ferrari pair achieve during the race?
Ferrari driver’s aiming for the podium at the Spanish GP
Lewis Hamilton was impressed with himself after claiming P5 and challenging for the second row on the grid. However, the seven-time world champion is hopeful he can do one better on finish on the podium. He believes the Ferrari has the pace on the long runs to do so.
Speaking after qualifying, he told Sky Sports F1: “I’m looking forward to it. I got a bit of a long run yesterday. It will be close between everybody. It’s amazing how close everybody is. The long run will be challenging for everybody. The key will be getting a good start. My goal is to try and get a podium. I’ve not had one for God knows how long.”
Charles Leclerc admitted that he was on the back foot for qualifying after having one less fresh tyre than his competitors. This led him to complete only one run during Q3. He said this was his decision as he compromised qualifying for the race.
🔴| Charles Leclerc admitted he sacrificed his qualifying today in hopes of a strong race result tomorrow:
“I had no tyres left. I think we were one of the only cars to have only four new sets of softs for the whole of qualifying. All the others around us had five new softs.”… pic.twitter.com/nuYy9CKDhD
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) May 31, 2025
He said to Sky Sports F1: “I only wanted to use three softs, which is making our life a lot more difficult. I sacrificed today, I hope it will pay off tomorrow. If it doesn’t, it’s my fault. The podium [is the target]. I think the race pace is strong, it depends how much we are going to overtake.”
Ferrari did look to have a good race pace on Friday. The key for them, and all the drivers, is keeping their tyres alive during the race. Ferrari needs to build momentum as it looks to take on Red Bull and Mercedes for P2 in the championship. They will need to pass their rivals to do so, making it an exciting prospect for the race.
George Russell targets podium on what will be a “tricky” Spanish GP
Ahead of the Ferrari duo is the Mercedes of George Russell. The Brit qualified well and set the same laptime as third-placed Max Verstappen. However, Russell has conceded that the race will be tough as he targets a step on the podium.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Russell said: “From what we have seen so far, it will be a tricky race, similar to Bahrain with a lot of overheating and a two-stop strategy. We saw how dominant McLaren was there.
Oscar Piastri Edges Teammate for Spanish GP Pole in Thrilling Qualifying
“There will be different strategies. All three tyres seem relatively similar. I would be really happy if we could fight for the podium.”
George Russell has been consistent so far this season. In the first six races, he finished in the top five in every race and stepped on the podium four times. However, the last two races, there has been a chink in the Mercedes armour. Poor tyre wear and overheating cost him in Imola, and in Monaco, Russell had a reliability issue in qualifying. Mercedes needs their team leader to get back in form quickly.
