What the Ferrari team principal said
It was a mixed qualifying session for Scuderia Ferrari at the Belgian Grand Prix held at the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Charles Leclerc, behind the wheel of the Ferrari SF-25, appeared to be running a low-downforce aerodynamic setup — suggested by his high top speed on the Kemmel straight — and managed to secure third place on the starting grid. This result placed him at the front of the second row, just over three tenths of a second behind the McLaren of Lando Norris, who took an impressive pole position.
On the other side of the garage, Lewis Hamilton experienced a much more difficult session. The British driver, who is a seven-time Formula 1 World Champion, paid a heavy price for exceeding track limits at the Eau Rouge-Raidillon section, which led to the cancellation of his lap time and his early elimination from Q1.
Scuderia Ferrari’s team principal Frederic Vasseur addressed the media following this disappointing qualifying session, which marked the second consecutive one to forget for Lewis Hamilton in the span of just 24 hours. Speaking to Sky Sport, the French team boss commented: “I believe that right now Lewis Hamilton is simply lacking a bit of confidence. It wasn’t easy to approach this weekend in the right way because there really hasn’t been enough time to prepare properly or to get fully comfortable with the car.”
The former Alfa Romeo team boss went on to explain that with only one Free Practice session on the schedule, there was no opportunity to simulate a race stint or conduct a proper long-run test with the SF-25. Additionally, in the Sprint Qualifying format, drivers are forced to use medium compound tyres in the first two sessions, which means there is no gradual adaptation with a consistent tyre type. According to the Ferrari team principal, this disrupted rhythm made it harder for Lewis Hamilton to build up confidence in a natural way.
“All Hamilton needs to do is remain calm and focus on putting everything together,” Fred Vasseur added. “I don’t think he wasn’t feeling the car — the pace was definitely there. All the sector times confirm it, both those from yesterday before he spun at the Bus Stop chicane and the ones from today. The speed was never the issue.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s main race at Spa, Frederic Vasseur also touched on the possibility of rain, a common variable at the Belgian Grand Prix. He noted that if the race were to take place in wet conditions, it could actually offer Ferrari a valuable opportunity to evaluate the upgraded SF-25 under different circumstances.
“I’m not sure whether rain would be better or worse for us,” said Fred Vasseur. “But in any case, if it rains, it would be beneficial to gain experience with this updated car in all possible conditions. That could give us useful data for future races, especially given how unpredictable the weather often is at Spa.”
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