For Lewis Hamilton, Friday at Imola was a mixed day. After a good feeling in the first practice session, with very few changes made to the car, he suffered from brake issues in FP2—problems that have been present since the start of the season. Lewis called them a “lottery,” as they appear inconsistently.
It was a day of two halves for Lewis Hamilton who, after positive sensations in FP1 with the SF-25, struggled later in the afternoon to find the right balance, suffering from a lack of feeling with the brakes—a problem he has actually complained about several times this season.
In fact, Charles Leclerc also reported some issues with brake performance during the second free practice session, but his seemed more related to the system’s behavior under specific conditions—defined as “warming” maps—rather than a general limitation.
Lewis Hamilton is one of those drivers who demands high sensitivity during braking, and when that necessary confidence is lacking, it becomes harder to carry speed into and through corners, especially when trying to trail-brake into the turn.
And that is precisely the issue the Brit focused on at the end of the first day at Imola, because between FP1 and FP2, he actually didn’t make any major changes to the car, as he was satisfied with the balance found in the first practice. In the late afternoon, Lewis didn’t go beyond eleventh place, about two tenths behind his teammate.
“FP1 went well, I was very happy with the car. I think we managed to make a step forward, the feeling was very positive. I made very few changes, ones that shouldn’t have made much difference—the smallest changes I’ve made this year, probably—but I had brake problems that made a total difference,” Hamilton said during interviews.
“I struggled with the brakes and it’s been a problem all year, I’ve never had this before. It’s something new for me,” the Brit added, pointing out that he had never experienced this kind of inconsistency before.
With the move from Mercedes to Ferrari, the brake supplier also changed—from Carbon Industrie to a complete Brembo system. However, Hamilton clarified that it’s not a problem related to the transition between suppliers, but rather to performance, which is often inconsistent. It’s an issue that other teams have also experienced, like Red Bull and Haas, but more than the brake system itself, it seems linked to other components.
“It’s not the transition [from one company to another], it’s a matter of performance,” said Hamilton, adding that it’s not a problem that can be solved overnight, even though he hopes to find a solution that restores his confidence for tomorrow.
“It’s a lottery, we roll the dice: you put one on and it works, you put another on and it doesn’t. I hope tomorrow we can find a solution, we’re definitely working on it.”
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