Lewis Hamilton realistic about Ferrari’s pace deficit to McLaren: “I don’t know where we’ll find 8 tenths”. Lewis Hamilton admitted Ferrari is far from McLaren after Friday practice at the Dutch GP in Zandvoort.

The seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton could not go beyond sixth place in the second free practice session at Zandvoort, a circuit where Ferrari has traditionally struggled over the past few years. The gap to McLaren already looks too wide to bridge.

Sixth position, eight and a half tenths behind the McLaren cars: Hamilton’s return to action on Dutch soil was far from ideal.

Zandvoort is a track that has consistently exposed Ferrari’s weaknesses in recent seasons, a layout full of characteristics that do not suit the red cars and, consequently, put both Scuderia drivers in difficulty when pushing to the limit.

This time, Lewis Hamilton was no exception. After a disappointing first practice session in which he ended up near the bottom of the timesheets, the British driver recovered in FP2 to become the fastest Ferrari representative. Yet, the gap to the McLaren drivers remained so large that it left very little room for optimism.

“It wasn’t such a bad day. I think we were making progress, although we are obviously quite far from the front, much more than usual. The first lap was actually quite good, but then we ran into some difficulties. We made some improvements during the lunch break, so I think we got a little better, but we’re still quite far off, so we’ve got work to do overnight,” Hamilton explained after Friday practice.

Lewis Hamilton also had several spins throughout the day. He was not the only driver to struggle on a track that initially offered very little grip in FP1, with only slight improvements in FP2.

“I think the first time I spun it was just because I was pushing too hard. At the end, even the driving quality was not where we wanted it, the car feels quite unpredictable. The second time I went wide on the grass and lost the rear. Hopefully that won’t happen again,” the Ferrari driver commented.

Despite the challenges, Hamilton managed to make progress in the second practice session. By improving in a few key areas of the track, he was able to bring the Ferrari SF-25 up to sixth place. However, the gap of around eight tenths to the papaya-colored McLarens seems destined to remain until the end of the weekend.

“Well, I think before my spin I was about a tenth quicker, then I gained another tenth and a half in the last corner. So I need to improve there, and I think we’ll have some work to do with the setup as well. I believe we are running at a decent pace, but for some reason I really don’t know if we can find eight tenths. Honestly, I just don’t know, but we’ll give it our best,” Lewis Hamilton concluded at the end of the second free practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix.