Ferrari ace Lewis Hamilton after GP qualifying: “Like a brand-new car”

The first race weekend following the Formula 1 summer break got off to a promising start for Ferrari star Lewis Hamilton. The record-holding Grand Prix winner managed to set the fourth-fastest lap in the first and only free practice session. He was just 65 thousandths off the third-fastest time set by his former team-mate George Russell, and was also just under seven hundredths behind world champion Lando Norris, who had set the second-fastest lap. And he missed Kimi Antonelli’s fastest time by 0.190 seconds.

However, any hopes of competing at the front in Sprint Qualifying were dashed by the final segment of the time-attack at the latest. Hamilton finished in seventh place, which is where he also ended the 24-lap race. He was more than six tenths off Russell’s pole time in the battle for sprint grid positions, with Russell going on to win the mini-race.

Many changes following the Zandvoort Sprint

Afterwards, his Ferrari team pulled out all the stops to improve the SF-26. It paid off: in Grand Prix qualifying, Hamilton was the fifth-fastest. He was 0.331 seconds off the GP pole time set by Lando Norris on the Dünenkurs circuit. Ahead of him were four drivers – Norris, Russell, Antonelli and Oscar Piastri – all powered by the formidable Mercedes engine.

Nevertheless, the 106-time Grand Prix winner did not appear frustrated when he stepped in front of the TV cameras. That’s because, at the end of the qualifying session – which determines the starting grid for the twelfth Grand Prix of the year – a brief, heavy rain shower added some drama. “I’m grateful that I managed to put in a fast lap at the end, because at that point I was in eighth place or thereabouts,” Hamilton admitted.

Lewis Hamilton: “The car felt terrible in the sprint”

“That was a completely different session to the sprint before, a whole new car. Of course, there are always areas you can improve on. We had a brilliant car in the first practice session that felt great. But because you can always tweak little things here and there, we made a few minor changes. And that completely turned the car on its head. It felt dreadful. In both the sprint qualifying and the sprint itself, I had zero confidence in the balance,” reported the seven-time champion.

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“That’s why we made all sorts of changes ahead of the GP qualifying – and it was like a new car. The balance was completely different, and I’m much happier with it. But of course it was a challenge to get used to it in just six laps. And all the Mercedes-powered cars are ahead of us; we clearly have a power deficit. In the race, however, our pace should be better,” Hamilton went on to analyse.

And the 41-year-old insisted: “I’m optimistic. Fifth place isn’t the best, but it could be a lot worse. That’s why I’m grateful for my position, even though I’d obviously like to be further up the grid.” He emphasised that his team-mate Charles Leclerc’s race pace gave him hope. “And I’m feeling positive because the car is much better. I think that with the right strategy and execution, we have a chance to battle against the lads ahead of us.”