Lewis Hamilton Baffled by Ferrari’s Austrian GP Struggles: “We Were So Slow”

• Lewis Hamilton admitted Ferrari’s race pace and tyre degradation at the Austrian Grand Prix were far worse than expected, leaving him unable to explain the team’s disappointing performance.
• Despite qualifying second and third, Ferrari’s heavy tyre wear forced both drivers onto a three-stop strategy, with Charles Leclerc finishing fifth and Hamilton eighth.
• Although Austria ended Hamilton’s streak of three consecutive podiums, the seven-time world champion remained optimistic about Ferrari’s overall progress despite the setback.

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Seven days after his breakthrough victory in Ferrari red, Lewis Hamilton was left questioning the team’s lack of pace at the Austrian Grand Prix, admitting: “I don’t know why we were so slow today.”

Ferrari looked set for a strong result after qualifying second and third at the Red Bull Ring, with Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc joining polesitter and eventual race winner George Russell on the front row.

However, the Scuderia slipped backwards in the race, with Leclerc finishing fifth and Hamilton eighth, despite the seven-time world champion challenging Russell’s Mercedes during the opening stint. Heavy tyre degradation in the sweltering conditions ultimately forced Ferrari onto a three-stop strategy, undoing its hopes of a podium.

“I don’t know why we were so slow today. We really struggled on pace, degradation was really, really high, much worse than anticipated,” Hamilton said after the race.

“I thought it was going to be like that and I told the team, they said it was going to be a two-stop and I was like, ‘I don’t think it’s a two-stop today, I don’t think I’m going to be able to make a two-stop work’.

“Big deg in that first stint, trying to hold onto George [Russell] and then every stint, mostly we were just struggling with power.”

Race winner Russell and runner-up Max Verstappen both completed the 71-lap race on a two-stop strategy, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished third to extend his advantage in the standings.

Hamilton also enjoyed a thrilling wheel-to-wheel battle with longtime rival Verstappen during the second stint before a Virtual Safety Car prompted Ferrari to pit earlier than planned and commit to the three-stop strategy.

The fifth-place finish for Leclerc and eighth for Hamilton also allowed Russell to reclaim second in the drivers’ championship, opening up a six-point advantage over his former Mercedes teammate. Antonelli still holds a commanding 40-point lead at the top.

Austria also ended Hamilton’s run of three consecutive podium finishes, following back-to-back second places in Montreal and Monaco before his maiden Ferrari victory at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

Despite the disappointing result, the Briton remained encouraged by Ferrari’s overall progress this season, with talk of a potential title challenge having emerged after the team’s recent resurgence.

“Definitely enjoying the battling. Of course, it’s not where we want to be but this has generally been a bogie circuit for me,” Hamilton added.

“It’s one of my worst circuits probably, so to get third in Qualifying yesterday I was like, ‘that’s not so bad’, to get fifth today given Charles is usually strong here over the years, I’ll take it.”

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Written by

Jawad Yaqub

An eCommerce Specialist by day and reporting on F1 by night. Jawad is passionate about motorsport, having provided accredited F1 coverage for more than a decade and is a member of the AIPS (International Sports Press Association). Live blogging (almost) every grand prix too since 2014, as well as articles on the Supercars Championship. Also keen on sustainability, photography, collecting vinyl, (trying to) expertly barbeque and learning to Dad.

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