After taking Sprint pole on Friday and finishing second in the Sprint race, Lewis Hamilton’s third-place result in qualifying for the British Grand Prix was arguably the least impressive outcome of an otherwise outstanding home weekend. The Ferrari driver revealed that a technical issue and balance problems prevented him from fighting for pole position, although he remains optimistic ahead of Sunday’s race despite acknowledging the pace advantage shown by Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes.
Throttle problem and balance issues in Q3
Qualifying at Silverstone secured Lewis Hamilton a place on the second row of the grid, but the result was influenced by a technical issue that struck at the most important moment of Q3. The British driver explained why, unlike his Ferrari teammate, he was unable to make a significant improvement on his final flying lap.
“I think the second run was actually quite good, but I lost the throttle,” the seven-time Formula 1 world champion revealed. “There was a problem with the throttle, basically, and I lost about three tenths on the back straight. But it was fixed towards the end.”
Beyond the technical issue, Lewis Hamilton also struggled with a Ferrari that behaved very differently compared to Friday. He complained about increased instability under braking and a front end that was less responsive than expected.
“I just struggled a lot more with the car in this qualifying session. There was much more understeer,” Hamilton admitted.
Asked whether those factors explained why he could not match Friday’s pole-winning pace, he replied: “Yes, it was those two things. Then there was the braking as well. For example, into Turn 3—Kimi Antonelli was talking about it too—it was quite inconsistent for me today with the setup we chose.”
Race expectations and the unique Silverstone atmosphere
Looking ahead to the British Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton admitted that Ferrari faces a difficult challenge against the impressive pace Mercedes displayed in the Sprint race. The Briton offered a realistic assessment of his chances of taking the fight to pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli.
“We couldn’t do it this morning, so I don’t think much will change. He was also much faster than me yesterday. So nothing has changed since this morning, and nothing will change between today and tomorrow. We’ll do our best to keep them behind us, but ultimately, if he has clean air, he’ll pull away.”
Even so, Ferrari’s objective remains to maximise the final result and improve on what the team achieved at the previous Austrian Grand Prix.
“Once again, the gaps are incredibly small, and having both cars starting near the front gives us more opportunities for tomorrow. We’ll evaluate every option available to us and do everything possible strategically to achieve the best result we can for the team.”
Beyond the qualifying result itself, the Silverstone weekend has delivered a much more encouraging picture than many expected regarding Formula 1’s new technical regulations. Concerns over energy management and the behaviour of the new power units through Silverstone’s high-speed corners proved largely unfounded.
“I think we were all surprised. It’s actually much better than we expected. It’s still an absolute joy to drive around this circuit. For me, it’s my favourite track.”
Lewis Hamilton concluded by praising the unique atmosphere at Silverstone, highlighting the passion of the British fans and the special energy they bring to the event.
“I think Silverstone has done an incredible job over the years in building this place and creating a real home for the fans, for the British crowd. Every morning when you arrive here, you see people who are so excited. It’s the best energy you can find anywhere, and it never disappoints any driver. It feels like it spreads across the entire grid. It’s amazing to see.”
Lewis Hamilton’s performance at Silverstone reflects the intense technical battle currently playing out between Ferrari and Mercedes, where overcoming minor mechanical hurdles and optimizing setup consistency remain the keys to success. As the team looks toward race day, these lessons in reliability and strategic adaptability will be essential for closing the gap and fighting for the win on home soil.
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