Lewis Hamilton: genuine Ferrari struggles or another case of sandbagging? “The feeling is positive, but this circuit punishes every mistake”
After securing his maiden Ferrari victory and arriving in Austria riding a wave of confidence, Lewis Hamilton was one of the most closely watched drivers heading into the Formula 1 weekend at the Red Bull Ring. Expectations were understandably high following his breakthrough success in Barcelona, but Friday’s practice sessions painted a less convincing picture, leaving questions over Ferrari’s true level of competitiveness.
Was the Scuderia genuinely lacking pace, or was the team once again keeping some of its performance hidden before qualifying? That remains one of the biggest talking points after the opening day of the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
Another slow Friday—or another Barcelona-style turnaround?
Lewis Hamilton finished Friday’s second practice session in fifth place, ending the day ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell but six tenths of a second behind session leader Kimi Antonelli. The seven-time Formula 1 World Champion also found himself behind both McLaren drivers and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, suggesting that Ferrari still has significant work ahead before qualifying.
However, the raw times may not tell the complete story. Just a few weeks ago in Barcelona, Ferrari also appeared to be struggling throughout Friday before dramatically transforming the SF-26 overnight. Following substantial setup changes, Lewis Hamilton emerged as a genuine pole contender on Saturday before converting the improved pace into his first Grand Prix victory for the Scuderia on Sunday.
That recent precedent makes it difficult to determine whether Ferrari is genuinely on the back foot in Austria or simply following another conservative Friday programme focused on data collection rather than outright lap times. With the team believed to have additional Power Unit performance still available, there is every possibility that the competitive order could change significantly before qualifying.
Lewis Hamilton remains encouraged despite difficult conditions
Speaking after the end of Friday’s running, Lewis Hamilton remained calm despite the challenging circumstances. The British driver, who comfortably outpaced teammate Charles Leclerc by more than two tenths during FP2, admitted that the unusually hot conditions had made an already demanding circuit even more difficult to master.
“I’d say it has been a challenging but solid start to the weekend,” Lewis Hamilton explained. “The high temperatures have made a circuit that is already extremely demanding even more difficult. The car gave me positive feelings right from the beginning, but this track is very unforgiving and even the smallest balance issue can cost a significant amount of lap time.”
The Ferrari driver believes there is still considerable room for improvement before qualifying and stressed that the team now faces an important evening of analysis to understand where the remaining performance can be found.
“We definitely have work to do to find the right setup and unlock a bit more performance,” Lewis Hamilton added. “We need to stay focused, understand exactly where we’re losing time and see what we can improve ahead of tomorrow.”
Ferrari’s engineers will now spend the night analysing the data gathered during both practice sessions, searching for the setup changes that could once again transform the SF-26’s competitiveness. If Barcelona is any indication, writing off Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari after Friday practice could prove to be a mistake. The Italian team has already shown this season that it can make significant overnight gains, and the hope in Maranello is that another step forward will put both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc back into contention when it matters most on Saturday.
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