Ferrari Show Strength Behind McLaren as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton Deliver in Austria
Scuderia Ferrari emerged as the strongest and most consistent team behind McLaren during the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix weekend, with both of their drivers delivering commendable performances that underlined the Italian outfit’s continued efforts to return to the top of the Formula 1 grid. Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc secured his fourth podium finish of the 2025 Formula One season, further solidifying his role as Ferrari’s primary title contender. Meanwhile, his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line just behind in fourth place, marking another solid points-scoring result—though notably extending his personal record for the longest streak of Grand Prix results without a podium appearance.
Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time FIA Formula One World Champion, has not stood on the rostrum since the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, but the British racing icon still found reasons to feel encouraged by the weekend’s progress. His fourth-place finish came after achieving his best qualifying performance of the season thus far—excluding Sprint events—as he lined up on the second row of the grid alongside McLaren’s Australian driver Oscar Piastri.
The race itself was not without incidents and close calls for Lewis Hamilton. He narrowly avoided becoming collateral damage during the early-lap incident between rookie driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli and reigning World Champion Max Verstappen, which unfolded dramatically just ahead of him on the opening lap. Once he survived that first-lap scare and successfully defended his position from a challenge by his former Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team colleague George Russell, Hamilton was able to focus on executing his own race strategy in a relatively stable environment.
For a significant portion of the Austrian Grand Prix, however, Lewis Hamilton found himself isolated and racing in clear air—too far ahead of George Russell and the chasing pack, yet unable to mount a serious challenge to the two McLaren drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, running at the front. One moment of visible tension came when Hamilton expressed some dissatisfaction with Scuderia Ferrari’s strategy decision to call him into the pits for a final stop late in the race. Despite this, Hamilton remained optimistic and positive in his post-race reflections, taking time to commend the team’s efforts across the weekend. He felt that the Ferrari squad, even in the absence of team principal Frédéric Vasseur, had delivered a cohesive and encouraging performance that showed genuine signs of progress.
Lewis Hamilton Acknowledges Ferrari’s Recent Progress But Admits He Needs to Understand Pace Deficit in Austria
One of the key developments for Scuderia Ferrari at the Red Bull Ring was the introduction of a rushed but important aerodynamic update focused on the car’s floor—a component that plays a crucial role in downforce and efficiency. Lewis Hamilton, speaking after the race, acknowledged that while the upgrade appeared relatively minor at first glance, it did seem to provide a performance boost that helped Ferrari move ahead of rivals Red Bull Racing and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team in terms of pure race pace.
During the 71-lap Grand Prix at Spielberg, both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton managed to open up a comfortable gap to George Russell, indicating that the newly updated SF-24 was responding well to the technical changes. While Max Verstappen’s race was compromised early due to the incident with Andrea Kimi Antonelli—leaving questions about Red Bull Racing’s true race pace unanswered—Ferrari showed signs that their ongoing upgrade path is yielding positive results.
After the race, Lewis Hamilton used his team radio to deliver a post-race message expressing gratitude and encouragement. He congratulated the entire Scuderia Ferrari team for what he described as a strong and encouraging weekend result, saying he was proud of the collective effort and urging everyone to keep building on this momentum. However, he also admitted that he felt he lacked outright pace during the race and indicated that understanding the cause of that deficit would be a key focus moving forward. The message underscored Hamilton’s commitment to contributing meaningfully to Ferrari’s technical development and race performance.
His race engineer, Riccardo Adami, replied with reassurance, suggesting that the raw pace was indeed present but that many race-related factors had to be managed throughout the afternoon. Adami added that the team would thoroughly review all aspects of the race data and would work together with Hamilton to extract even greater performance in the upcoming rounds of the championship.
Charles Leclerc and George Russell Agree on Lewis Hamilton’s Transition to Ferrari in First Season
Following 11 rounds of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship, Lewis Hamilton currently occupies sixth place in the drivers’ standings with 91 points to his name. Charles Leclerc, following his podium finish in Austria, has widened his lead over his new teammate to 28 points. While Charles Leclerc is still aiming to secure his first Grand Prix victory of the 2025 season, his consistency and composure continue to yield important points for Ferrari in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.
Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, does have one notable win under his belt—the British driver claimed victory in the Sprint Race held during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend. However, an appearance on the main race podium remains elusive. With the iconic British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit up next on the calendar, Hamilton will be hoping to break that podium drought in front of his home fans, which would mark a significant milestone in his adaptation to the Ferrari team.
Both Charles Leclerc and Mercedes driver George Russell have publicly praised Lewis Hamilton’s performance and approach during his first season with Scuderia Ferrari. They have each gone on record describing the veteran as one of the greatest—if not the greatest—drivers in the history of Formula One. For Lewis Hamilton, hearing such affirmations from his current and former colleagues could provide a valuable confidence boost as he continues to integrate into the Ferrari family and push for improved results. While the results so far may not reflect his legendary standards, the foundation is being laid for what could become a strong resurgence in the second half of the 2025 Formula One season.
