Hamilton/Ferrari ahead of Barcelona GP: "To beat Mercedes, I need ..."

The series of Mercedes pole positions continues: George Russell has the best grid position at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. But for the first time this season, championship leader Kimi Antonelli is not on the front row, and the reason is Lewis Hamilton.

Ferrari superstar Hamilton secured his best GP grid position with Ferrari in the thrilling final practice session in Catalonia; the last time the seven-time Formula 1 champion was P2 after a GP qualifying session was at Silverstone 2024.

The big question for all Ferrari fans: Can the Italians take their first victory since the end of October 2024 in Mexico? Back then, Carlos Sainz raced to victory. And can Lewis Hamilton claim his first GP victory since Belgium 2024? Back then, the Briton was given the win as a gift because the first to finish, George Russell, was disqualified (car underweight). The last real victory for Lewis was therefore at Silverstone 2024, almost two years ago.

What does Ferrari need to storm the Mercedes fortress in Spain? The 105-time GP winner Hamilton says: "First of all - tyre wear is twice as high as calculated. That will play a key role in the race. I don't even know if we'll make it with just two tyre changes."

"The fact is, we've never been so close to Mercedes. Therefore - what we are doing is working, we are improving as a team. But these guys always seem to have something up their sleeve. Every time we bring an upgrade, they are still ahead, so we still have some work to do."

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"To win a GP pole, we need to have more power and also improve in terms of energy management. Where we let up a little in turn 4, for example, they can still improve. We're talking about details here, spread over a lap."

"We also need more stability at the rear, so I'm constantly asking the team - more downforce, please. So basically what all the drivers want all the time, more power and more downforce. We also need to refine the car balance. And if we can get all that right, then we can give Mercedes a run for their money."