Up to the conclusion of the Q2 qualifying session, Ferrari seemed to be clearly on course toward a prestigious and notable result: at least one of the two SF-25 racing cars was virtually always positioned within the virtual front row of the grid for the start of the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit. However, during the decisive Q3 qualifying session, the two drivers representing the Italian team were unfortunately relegated to the third row of the starting grid, with Lewis Hamilton occupying the 5th position and Charles Leclerc in 6th place overall. This outcome was a major disappointment and a significant setback, especially when considering the strong and promising conditions that had been built up throughout the free practice sessions held earlier in the weekend. The spotlight during Q3 was dominated by Max Verstappen, who once again delivered an absolutely masterful and commanding performance, confirming his status as one of the leading figures in the championship.
We had already anticipated and predicted on Friday, based on the data and observations from the free practice sessions, how the Scuderia Ferrari team could potentially benefit from certain specific characteristics of this particular racing circuit, especially with the introduction of the new floor package on the SF-25 chassis. In fact, if we carefully analyze and consider the ideal lap times recorded by the individual drivers, Lewis Hamilton would have secured the second-best ideal lap time, while Charles Leclerc would have been third fastest, thereby confirming the unrealized potential and untapped performance that was evident during their final timed attempts. Specifically, both drivers committed a small but critical error in the last two corners of the circuit, experiencing oversteer while under traction, which negatively impacted their overall lap times.
It was precisely in that section that Lewis Hamilton lost 0.195 seconds compared to his personal best time in the third sector. This small but costly slip undoubtedly deprived him of a chance to secure a coveted front-row starting position. Indeed, we had concluded the analysis of the second free practice session yesterday with a clear statement that indicated the fact that “the key to aiming for a front row start will be solving those small but critical problems in the slower sections of the circuit.” Unfortunately, this situation did not improve for the Ferrari drivers, and they were not able to achieve the full confidence and control required to optimize their performance.
Furthermore, exactly as seen in the second free practice session, Lewis Hamilton was once again the driver with the worst minimum speed on the entire grid in the slowest part of the track. We are specifically referring to turn 4, where car number 44 was unable to perform effectively in any measurable way. The insufficient rotational ability of the car severely limited this part of the circuit, which in turn made the entire lap significantly more challenging to execute. It must be noted that a portion of these problems also stemmed from the performance and behavior of the tires.
The activation and warming of the tire compounds was not optimal during the qualifying runs, and as a consequence, the grip levels provided by the tires were insufficient to guarantee the necessary traction and adhesion to the track surface. Attempting to push the car multiple times and maintain control was not a feasible option because the SF-25 tended to become unstable and easily lose rear-end grip. Overall, the final qualifying result should not be dismissed outright, although starting from the third row is far from ideal on a racing circuit where turbulent air created by leading cars severely disrupts the aerodynamic performance and pace of the following vehicles.
Analyzing the telemetry data comparing Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton reveals several highly interesting insights, particularly on the topic of aerodynamic efficiency. Red Bull Racing once again confirmed its absolute supremacy in high-speed corners, where the rigidity and stiffness of the front axle plays a fundamental role in generating driver confidence and precision through the fast bends. This type of performance is strongly reminiscent of the behavior observed in the first sector at the Suzuka Circuit, where Max Verstappen was able to build a substantial portion of his advantage over rivals.
At the Silverstone Circuit, this particular strength was further amplified by a clear and decisive aerodynamic setup choice: the Red Bull RB21 entered the track with the lowest downforce rear wing configuration of the entire field, yet it was supported by a floor design capable of generating abundant aerodynamic downforce. This represents a balance and synergy that Red Bull has mastered better than any other team, which allowed them to find the perfect setup combination precisely at the decisive moment.
Examining the data related to speed trace, the gap in performance is immediately evident from the very first straight: Max Verstappen’s speed line is noticeably higher compared to the speed line recorded by Lewis Hamilton. On that initial acceleration straight, Max Verstappen gains approximately two-tenths of a second over Lewis Hamilton, although this time advantage is then relinquished in the following corners. This pattern repeats itself at the Copse corner and continues up to the entrance of the Becketts complex, where Max Verstappen gains an additional two-tenths of a second purely in terms of maximum speed.
The speed differentials of +7 kilometers per hour just before the Copse corner and +5 kilometers per hour just prior to the Becketts complex, compared to the British driver, are significant and thought-provoking. This performance gain can be attributed to the exceptional aerodynamic efficiency demonstrated by the Red Bull RB21 chassis. Meanwhile, the Ferrari SF-25 single-seater maintained a good level of competitiveness throughout the entire weekend in the technical ‘snake’ section between turn 10 and turn 14. However, the overall performance gain remained modest, amounting to only 50 thousandths of a second, which was an insufficient margin to compensate for the massive advantage delivered by Max Verstappen in the second sector.
And Lewis Hamilton’s mistake unfortunately proved to be decisive and costly. In the final section of the circuit, known as the Club complex, the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion arrived with a rear end that was excessively stressed and difficult to manage in terms of traction. It was precisely in this section of the track that he lost a valuable opportunity. The Briton was unable to reproduce the outstanding third sector time of 22.289 seconds that he had set during the Q2 qualifying session, a time that would have allowed him to gain at least one starting grid row position.
In summary and conclusion, it is right to admit that Scuderia Ferrari’s qualifying session was essentially wasted and thrown away. The traction problems encountered in the slow sections of the circuit, which had already been highlighted during the free practice sessions, remained unresolved and caused driving errors that, although limited in terms of raw time lost, translated into a significant drop down the starting grid order. Indeed, the pole position was only two-tenths of a second away. At this highly competitive level of Formula 1 racing, just a few hundredths of a second are sufficient to lose the cumulative work and effort of an entire race weekend.
And you? What do you think about Ferrari’s chances for Sunday’s race considering the starting positions? Let us know with a comment at the end of the article or on our social media channels: Facebook Group / Facebook Page / Instagram / X (former Twitter)
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