Before the Austrian GP, Ferrari had dropped down to third in the constructors’ championship after a difficult Canadian GP. The team brought upgrades to Austria, a full new underfloor, with the hope of regaining lost ground and challenging McLaren for the win. Lewis Hamilton was unsure if they would make an impact, but Ferrari looked good in qualifying.
Charles Leclerc lined up on the front row in second, with Lewis Hamilton directly behind in fourth. However, McLaren was just too fast for Ferrari as third-placed Leclerc finished twenty seconds off the win. Despite the gap to McLaren, Hamilton was full of praise for the progress the Italian team had made.
Lewis Hamilton says the upgrade package worked
Lewis Hamilton came into the weekend unsure if the upgrades would improve the SF-25. However, following the race, the seven-time world champion claims that the updates helped make Ferrari the second fastest team on the grid.
The Brit said: “Mega, mega progress for us as a team, I have to say a huge thank you to the guys at the factory for bringing the upgrade this weekend. It didn’t seem much on paper but it was a really small step but perhaps it had a bigger influence on our performance.”
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“For us to be the second fastest team this weekend, we’re not a minute down from the McLarens which is a positive and to bag some really strong points, definitely happy with it for sure.”
Charles Leclerc also admitted Ferrari didn’t have the pace to fight with McLaren in Austria, and third was “the best we could do.” However, this is a big step forward from the team that struggled for pace all weekend long in Canada. The Prancing Horse will hope this is the start of a resurgence which will see them challenging for race wins.
Lewis Hamilton claims he made progress at the Austrian GP
Lewis Hamilton believes the Austrian GP saw him make more progress as he attempts to acclimate to life at Maranello. The Brit qualified in P4 and was close to the lap time Leclerc set. However, the seven-time world champion still finished ten seconds behind the Monégasque.
Hamilton concluded: “I feel like I made progress this weekend, less than a tenth off Charles in qualifying, and we found a problem through qualifying with the brakes, that’s a positive.
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“From my side, struggling with the balance in the race, just struggling to hold on to the pace and lost a bit too much ground but that’s something I need to work on.”
Leclerc has finished on the podium on four occasions this season in eleven races, while Hamilton is yet to step on the rostrum. However, the Brit did win the sprint race in China. It is difficult for Hamilton to adapt to a new car after spending 12 years driving the Mercedes. He needs to fully acclimatise to the way the Ferrari drives for him to stand on the podium this season. But if anyone can, a seven-time world champion can.
