Ferrari has had an underwhelming start to the season and is the only team in the top four yet to win a race in the opening ten rounds. The Scuderia sits third in the championship but 191 points off the leaders, McLaren. New signing Lewis Hamilton is yet to stand on the podium, but has, however, won the sprint race in China.
That glimmer has led both drivers to continuously call for Ferrari to bring upgrades as soon as possible. The team has responded by bringing underfloor upgrades to the Red Bull Ring, but Hamilton is unsure of the impact it will make.
Lewis Hamilton is not expecting the upgrades package in Austria to change “a huge amount”
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is still awaiting his first Grand Prix victory in scarlet red. After a disappointing Canadian GP, Hamilton claimed Ferrari “really in need of an upgrade” to close the gap to their rivals. Ferrari responded by bringing fresh parts to Austria, but Hamilton has questioned if it will help the Scuderia find more pace.
Speaking to the media before the Austrian GP, Hamilton said: “Firstly, I am happy that we have an upgrade, it is always exciting to get new pieces on the car. So I am really grateful for everyone working hard to bring them, but we don’t really know the actual effect it is going to have.”
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“It’s not the normal information we’re getting, of how much load you’ve added to the car, it is not necessarily clear, but hopefully it will be a step in the right direction. But I wouldn’t think we’re expecting it to change a huge amount. But fingers crossed it is better.”
Ferrari was expected to be challenging for titles this season. They pushed McLaren all the way last season and aimed to go one better this year. They signed Lewis Hamilton with the anticipation of creating a car to win races. This hasn’t happened as the SF-25 lacks downforce compared to its rivals. There is still time to turn the season around, but Maranello needs to work quickly.
Lewis Hamilton says he doesn’t want to “make excuses”
Lewis Hamilton has a best finish of fourth place in grand prix races this season. However, his teammate, Charles Leclerc, has stood on the podium on three occasions. Although Hamilton has said there is a period of adjustment needed after spending 12 years at Mercedes, he stated that it’s not an excuse.
He continued: “I am not making excuses, we were second in the constructors’ before the last race, and we’ve had many problems in both sides, driver and car, but we are working towards it.”
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“The positive is that we are making improvements, we are progressing, whether or not you see that is not necessarily important to me. Personally, I feel like I am making progress, we are making progress, and that is what is most important.”
Hamilton spent 12 largely successful years with Mercedes. To come out of that setup is going to take time and acclimatisation. Looking at other drivers who have moved teams, he is close to his teammate and performing on a similar level, minus the podiums. Hamilton has also struggled with the ground-effect era cars. Once the rules are reset in 2026 and have gelled better with the team, Hamilton could be a force in F1 again.
