Spanish GP: Lewis Hamilton narrowly misses pole and gives Ferrari upgrades his seal of approval
A superb qualifying performance saw Lewis Hamilton secure second place on the grid for the Spanish Grand Prix. Once again, the British driver found himself among the frontrunners, finishing just 64 thousandths of a second behind George Russell’s pole-winning time. The Mercedes driver stopped the clock at 1:14.679, while Lewis Hamilton posted a 1:14.743.
For the Barcelona weekend, Ferrari introduced a substantial package of upgrades, making the Scuderia the team with the most significant technical developments on the grid. The lap times achieved throughout qualifying provided clear evidence that the updates were working as intended and delivering the expected gains.
Barcelona is an extremely technical and complete circuit, featuring a long main straight combined with both high-speed and low-speed sections. For this reason, it has traditionally been regarded as one of the best venues for assessing the true potential of Formula 1 cars and accurately measuring the competitive order between teams.
The SF-26 performed strongly across all three sectors. The third sector in particular had caused Ferrari the most difficulties during free practice. It is a highly technical and demanding section where tyre management plays a crucial role. Understanding and controlling tyre behaviour was one of Ferrari’s main objectives heading into qualifying and, judging by Lewis Hamilton’s performance and the pace shown by Charles Leclerc before his accident, the team appears to have addressed the issue successfully.
Lewis Hamilton therefore confirmed his growing confidence in the car while also giving a strong endorsement to the upgrades developed in Maranello. His front-row start would have seemed almost unthinkable before the practice sessions began, with most predictions placing Ferrari no higher than the second row and potentially with only one car in contention. On Sunday, the British driver will line up alongside George Russell and will be able to rely on Ferrari’s traditionally strong race starts in an attempt to challenge for the lead into Turn 1.
Spanish GP: Lewis Hamilton says he felt comfortable in the Ferrari
As one of the top three qualifiers, Lewis Hamilton spoke to F1TV after the session. After praising the Spanish fans, congratulating the Silver Arrows and reflecting on the impressive pace shown throughout qualifying, he analysed his own performance in detail.
“It’s fantastic to be here on the front row with them,” said the number 44 driver after climbing out of the cockpit. “Especially because this weekend has been really difficult. Normally practice sessions are not a problem, but this time I was struggling. In the second session I found myself a second, even a second and a half behind because I never really felt comfortable with the car.”
Tyre management has been one of the key themes of the Barcelona weekend, particularly for Ferrari. Initial expectations suggested the car could struggle in the technical final sector of the circuit.
“Here the tyres only really last for one lap and you only have two attempts available in each session. Once you complete the preparation lap, if you try again, the tyre drops off completely and you lose all your reference points.”
Lewis Hamilton then revealed how uncertain he still felt heading into qualifying.
“Even in FP3 I was still four or five tenths off and I said to myself: ‘Where am I going to find the pace for qualifying now?’ Then I left the track before qualifying started, went back to my motorhome to relax, and when I came back I immediately found myself fastest in Q1. That’s when I realised we had found the right balance. I felt comfortable straight away in the first part of qualifying. Q2 was a little more complicated because of traffic, and then in Q3 these guys produced another great lap as they always do.”
Spanish GP: Hamilton less than a tenth away from Russell
It is no longer surprising, but it is undeniable that Lewis Hamilton’s relationship with the Ferrari SF-26 continues to improve race after race. At the Spanish circuit, the seven-time world champion came extremely close to pole position. According to Hamilton, the decisive factor was battery deployment, as energy usage earlier in the lap left him without the optimal boost at the crucial moment.
As mentioned previously, Barcelona represents one of the most important benchmarks of the Formula 1 season. It offers teams a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of their cars, and Ferrari’s performance suggests the SF-26 has become a much more competitive package thanks to the upgrades introduced in Spain.
“Normally every weekend we find ourselves around four tenths behind Mercedes and, even with this upgrade package, we thought the gap might remain similar,” Lewis Hamilton explained.
“To be this close, for the first time less than a tenth away, really shows the incredible work everyone is doing. The guys in Maranello worked unbelievably hard to bring these upgrades in time for this circuit, so a huge thank you goes to everyone back at the factory. We need to keep pushing and continue developing the car in this direction.”
Lewis Hamilton concluded with a look ahead to Sunday’s race and the opportunity presented by his front-row starting position: “I hope tomorrow we can make the most of our strong starts and try to stay with the two Mercedes.”
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