F1 Monza GP – Lewis Hamilton analyses Ferrari qualifying: “Here’s what we are missing”. Lewis Hamilton analysed Ferrari’s performance after qualifying at Monza.

F1 Italian GP – Lewis Hamilton analysed Ferrari’s performance after qualifying at Monza

Ferrari delivered a below-par performance in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, with Lewis Hamilton set to start only from tenth place due to a penalty. After promising free practice sessions, including a one-two result in FP1, expectations were high for the Scuderia, but qualifying did not go as hoped. Charles Leclerc had to settle for fourth position, followed closely by his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton in fifth. However, the seven-time world champion will not line up on the third row: he has to serve a five-place grid penalty, picked up at Zandvoort for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags. This means Hamilton will drop to tenth on the starting grid.

Speaking after qualifying, Lewis Hamilton shared his thoughts on both the Italian weekend atmosphere and Ferrari’s on-track struggles.

Lewis Hamilton’s words

“The weekend in Italy has been fantastic so far. I don’t really know what else to say, other than I arrived at the factory on Wednesday, then went to Milan and saw how many people were there for us, even though it was only Wednesday evening.

“Then throughout the weekend they were everywhere [the Ferrari fans]. It’s like a huge organised crowd—some were even hiding behind the trees. When you walk through the park, they are there. When you leave the circuit, they line both sides of the road as far as you can see. It’s incredible.”

Turning to on-track matters, Lewis Hamilton highlighted the Ferrari SF-25’s biggest weakness: “Right now our weak point is that we are fast on the straights, but in the middle sector we lose time in the corners. We are lacking aerodynamic downforce, even if we are strong on the straights. But if we add more rear wing, for some reason the efficiency is not there. We cannot recover that grip in the middle sector unless we raise the ride height a lot, but doing that makes us lose too much straight-line speed. That is the real problem.” – the British driver concluded at the end of the qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix.