Lewis Hamilton’s strong start in the SF-25
The SF-25 continues to show its known limitations. Charles Leclerc managed to assemble a perfect lap, demonstrating his exceptional ability to hide the car’s weaknesses with his driving style—a skill he has honed over seven long seasons. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, has not yet developed this ability, and he would greatly benefit from more team support.
The seven-time world champion struggles more than his teammate to find the key to adapting to the car’s behavior. During the Sprint race, Lewis Hamilton showed very positive signs with an aggressive start that allowed him to climb into the points zone. However, he later became stuck behind Fernando Alonso, just like Charles.
Despite a decent pace, Lewis Hamilton could not overtake the Aston Martin of the Spanish champion, which was no simple task even for Charles Leclerc, who stayed behind Fernando Alonso for much of the 100-kilometer Sprint. The car’s potential remained unexpressed, particularly due to a top speed deficit. The engineers worked to improve straight-line speed to address this.
Hamilton spotted the tire issue, but Ferrari didn’t follow
After the qualifying session at the Interlagos circuit, Lewis Hamilton explained that the day had started optimistically but became complicated due to the inability to maximize rear tire performance. He said the Sprint had gone well, allowing him to regain positions and enter the points. Some car adjustments had helped in both the straights and high-speed corners.
Although happy with the initial progress, the Briton had already issued a warning in the first part of qualifying. While returning to the pits, he discussed the rear axle issues with his race engineer, explaining that neither rear tire reached the target temperature. This lack of grip prevented him from exploiting the car’s full potential.
To resolve this, Lewis Hamilton suggested a change in the warm-up strategy, but Riccardo Adami responded tersely with “we’ll see,” showing little confidence in the technical assessment. As a result, the issue reappeared in the second part of qualifying, and the seven-time Formula 1 world champion failed to pass the cut, finishing 13th.
The overlooked feedback was crucial
“Unfortunately, in Q2 we couldn’t bring the rear tires into the correct operating window, and it cost us dearly,” Lewis Hamilton said, going straight to the heart of the matter. While he acknowledged some progress, converting it into concrete results remained difficult. Ferrari’s performance leaned heavily on Charles Leclerc, while his Maranello teammate continued to seek the confidence from the team that was missing on Friday.
The difference in performance between the two drivers highlights how sensitive the SF-25 is to setup changes and the importance of adaptation work for the season’s final races. Once again, as seen in Singapore, it’s clear that the team’s support was not fully aligned. Lewis Hamilton has consistently emphasized the importance of listening to driver feedback.
Hamilton aims for a comeback
Looking ahead to the race, Lewis Hamilton urged the team not to give up. A comeback at Interlagos is not impossible, especially now that top speed has improved after adjustments made before qualifying. Although still behind McLaren and Mercedes in outright speed, it is sufficient with the DRS open to attempt overtakes over a 300-kilometer race distance.
Lewis Hamilton reflected on the track’s unpredictability, saying, “Anything can happen here, as we saw today. Tomorrow we will give our maximum and fight until the end.” This mindset demonstrates his determination, fully aware that Interlagos offers multiple variables, and that a good result remains possible. Both the driver and the team, particularly in managing tire strategies, need to work in sync to achieve it.
