Lewis Hamilton: “Without oversteer at Turn 6 I could’ve been P2. The new floor helped us”. Lewis Hamilton secured P4 in Austria, his best qualifying result with Ferrari.

For Ferrari, it was their best qualifying of the year—and the same applies to Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion will start from the second row for the first time since joining Ferrari, thanks to a fourth-place result in Austrian Grand Prix qualifying. It’s a performance that boosts morale and positions him as a podium contender, especially given Ferrari’s typically stronger race pace compared to qualifying.

Heading into the race, all eyes are on the impact of the new floor on long-run performance. The upgrades already proved effective over one lap, with Hamilton acknowledging that he lost a few tenths on his final attempt due to oversteer at Turn 6.

Lewis Hamilton said he made clear progress from Friday and was pleased with the direction the team has taken. He noted he’s getting closer to teammate Charles Leclerc in terms of performance, highlighting the Monegasque driver’s consistency with the car. According to Lewis Hamilton, without the oversteer in Turn 6, P2 might have been possible.

Still, he expressed no regrets. He praised McLaren’s impressive straight-line speed—nearly 10 km/h faster between Turns 6 and 7—and accepted that Ferrari simply can’t match that. He was grateful to be on the second row and emphasized Ferrari usually performs better on Sundays. For the race, he said he’s not talking about podiums—his focus is on execution.

Lewis Hamilton added that there are definitely positives to take away. He described Saturday in Austria as Ferrari’s best operationally so far this season and credited the new floor for that. He thanked everyone at Maranello, saying it was something he’d been waiting for and it certainly helped.

Reflecting on recent progress, the British driver noted that improvements are happening, albeit slowly. There’s still a lot of work to do, but consistency will be key. When asked whether this could be a turning point in the season, he said he wasn’t sure but hoped Ferrari could maintain this form and fight again at Silverstone. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion promised to stay focused and keep working hard. Each time he drives the car, he discovers something new, and while his final lap wasn’t ideal, his mindset remains committed to continuous improvement.