F1 | Lewis Hamilton aware Ferrari’s new SF25 floor won’t reverse fortunes in Austria. Lewis Hamilton has understood Ferrari’s difficulties.

Lewis Hamilton has understood Ferrari’s difficulties and is aware he cannot fight for the top positions in Austria.

After two F1 free practice sessions in Austria, Lewis Hamilton still hasn’t found the right balance with his Ferrari, also due to a gearbox issue during FP1 that left him only ninth. In FP2, he dropped to tenth and, as if that weren’t enough, was also investigated for impeding Antonelli, though no penalty was issued. Ferrari brought a new floor this weekend which, according to Charles Leclerc, is not enough to catch up with McLaren and Red Bull.

Charles Leclerc also cannot rely on much data from the Austrian free practice
Like Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc is not at full potential, having only taken part in the second free practice session. He was replaced by Dino Beganovic in FP1. Charles Leclerc struggled especially on the flying lap, finishing fifth in FP2. There is therefore a lot of work ahead for Ferrari if the goal is to get to the front. That seems unlikely in Austria, and Fred Vasseur, together with the whole team, must make the most of every opportunity available.

Lewis Hamilton after F1 practice in Austria: “We won’t be at the front in Ferrari”
Lewis Hamilton commented on the new floor brought by Ferrari and agreed with Charles Leclerc’s assessment:

“A huge effort was made to bring this new floor, but as you can see, it hasn’t changed our competitiveness. Actually, the car doesn’t feel that bad, it’s just a bit off the pace, so we have to analyze the situation—that’s really all. We’ll keep pushing, try to fine-tune the car, and see what we can achieve, but clearly, we’re hovering around the top 10. A tenth can make the difference, and that’s what we’ll be working on.”

Lewis also had the chance to speak about the gearbox issue during FP1 and the work of Ferrari’s mechanics:

“This morning we had a gearbox issue, which was difficult and frustrating for everyone. The guys did a great job fixing it, but I was only able to go out and do one lap, so we didn’t manage any long runs. The mechanics did a fantastic job changing the gearbox and getting us ready for FP2, but Charles was six tenths behind, and I was nearly a second off, so it’s not an ideal situation. But there’s a lot to learn, I think we’ll make some changes and hopefully close the gap a little, but we won’t be at the front.”