Spa-Francorchamps: Hamilton discusses Ferrari’s practice performance in Belgium
Ferrari’s performance during practice
Lewis Hamilton has indicated that Ferrari plans to conduct a thorough review to understand why the team experienced a notable loss of speed in the middle sector at Spa-Francorchamps. During the second practice session at the Belgian Grand Prix, Hamilton finished in fourth position, trailing session leader Kimi Antonelli by more than seven-tenths of a second. A significant portion of this time deficit occurred in the middle sector of the track.
Hamilton noted that while Antonelli completed the middle sector in 46.722 seconds, he was six-tenths of a second slower than the Mercedes driver in that specific area. Despite this, Hamilton expressed optimism that Ferrari would address their initial challenges at the Belgian Grand Prix. He believes the team can implement the necessary adjustments to reduce the gap to their competitors overnight.
The team showed early promise in the day, with Hamilton securing P2 in Free Practice 1, finishing 0.145 seconds behind Max Verstappen. His teammate, Charles Leclerc, secured P3 in the same session. However, Ferrari’s performance declined in the subsequent session, with Hamilton settling for fourth place. Leclerc faced more significant difficulties, failing to secure a top 10 position after his fastest lap on soft tyres was removed.
Hamilton remained generally satisfied with their overall performance, describing it as a “pretty good day in general” with “relatively clean sessions.” He mentioned that the team made some changes for FP2, and the performance gap appeared larger than anticipated in that session. He hopes they can close this gap in the following day’s session.
Addressing the middle sector challenge
Hamilton highlighted that the middle sector was notably slower for Ferrari, prompting a need for a “deep dive” to understand the reasons. He stated that the team would conduct simulations to optimise the car’s performance. While straight-line speed has been a recurring weakness for Ferrari this year, Hamilton clarified that this was not the primary concern during Friday’s practice.
He explained that the issue felt “a little bit downforce-related,” even though the car’s overall balance was good. Hamilton noted that while more load could be added to the car, this would need to be balanced against maintaining speed on the straights. The team’s objective is to improve performance in the middle sector without compromising their straight-line speed.
Team Principal Fred Vasseur, whose team has secured victories in two of the last three Grands Prix, acknowledged that Friday’s results might not be indicative of qualifying performance. This perspective leaves open the possibility for Ferrari to contend for a leading position once again. Vasseur emphasised that fuel load significantly impacts competitiveness, making direct comparisons with other teams challenging.
Vasseur stated that the team’s focus is on optimising their own performance and that they have “a lot of work to do.” He observed that in recent rounds, Friday’s classification has not always been representative of the final outcome.
Looking ahead to qualifying
Hamilton recognised the strong performance of other teams, noting that Red Bull appeared very strong and Mercedes had significantly improved their pace. He also mentioned that McLaren looked good. Despite these observations, he found the Ferrari car to feel “pretty decent” overall, though they were “lacking a little bit in the middle sector for some reason.”
The team is currently investigating the cause of this deficit in the middle sector to see if improvements can be made. Hamilton expressed his enjoyment of driving on the track, describing it as “amazing.” The goal is to make adjustments overnight to better compete with rivals in Saturday’s qualifying session.
Leclerc experienced a more challenging day than Hamilton, not reaching the top 10 by the end of the second practice session. Ferrari aims to ensure that any adjustments made to address downforce concerns do not negatively impact their straight-line performance ahead of qualifying.
The team will perform a “deep dive” overnight to determine how to improve the middle sector without losing performance in other areas.
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Source: formula1.com
Isla Hartley is a Sports Reporter at NewsUK. She covered the British summer of sport from Wimbledon to the Test grounds. She focuses on tennis, cricket and athletics and is known for clear, deadline-driven reporting. She holds a degree in Sports Studies from the University of Stirling and completed an NCTJ diploma. Now based in Glasgow, she runs half-marathons and follows Scottish athletics. “The overlooked athlete usually has the better story.”
