Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion, opened up about Ferrari’s struggles after a tough Austrian Grand Prix, especially since they came into the weekend brimming with confidence. Fresh off his first win with Ferrari in Barcelona, Hamilton was eager to replicate that success after qualifying third on the grid. Unfortunately, Ferrari’s race pace quickly diminished. Hamilton made a brief push at the front but soon found himself slipping back as tyre wear took its toll. After a three-stop strategy dropped him to seventh, he managed to claw his way back to finish fifth, just ahead of Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris. Reflecting on the race, Hamilton noted that the extra pit stop was a must due to the intense heat and significant tyre degradation, and he expressed confusion over why Ferrari couldn’t maintain the pace they had just shown two weeks prior.
Hamilton pointed out that, “I didn’t agree with any of the tyres today, it was a very hard race, it was very tough and extremely hot. I was kind of holding off, and then the rears just dropped off on every set of tyres for some reason, the balance was very open, very difficult.”
He experienced severe rear tyre degradation, poor balance, and a noticeable lack of straight-line speed compared to his competitors. A sluggish start also hampered his performance. While Hamilton managed to recover to fifth place, his teammate Charles Leclerc faced a tougher battle, dropping from second on the grid to eighth due to similar grip issues throughout the race.
Exposure of Ferrari’s Power Shortfall
The Austrian Grand Prix once again brought to light Ferrari’s ongoing struggles with engine performance. The team rolled out an upgraded power unit at Spielberg, hoping to close the gap with their competitors. However, Hamilton pointed out that Ferrari still seemed to be lacking speed on the straights, and this issue became even more apparent over the course of the race. He noted that the car’s performance dipped significantly on long straights, especially when compared to their Mercedes-powered rivals.
This upgrade was made possible under Formula 1’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) rules. Ferrari qualified for this extra engine development after their internal combustion engine was found to be over 4% below the benchmark set by Red Bull. It’s important to note that ADUO is focused solely on enhancing the internal combustion engine, not the entire hybrid power unit. Ferrari has already made it clear that they didn’t expect one upgrade to completely eliminate the performance gap, and more developments are likely on the horizon as the season progresses.
Team principal Fred Vasseur acknowledged that Ferrari didn’t prepare for the race as thoroughly as they did for qualifying. He felt the team may have pushed too hard to keep up with Mercedes in the early stages before opting for an aggressive strategy that ultimately backfired. Leclerc also weighed in, stating that strategy wasn’t the main problem; Ferrari simply didn’t have the race pace. Hamilton agreed, describing Austria as a “reality check.” While he believes Ferrari has a strong car in the corners, he emphasized the need for the team to keep improving both their power and tire management if they want to consistently compete at the front.
