Ferrari brought a floor upgrade to the Austrian Grand Prix which Lewis Hamilton wasn’t sure would work, but qualifying in Spielberg suggested the Italians have found more pace
Lewis Hamilton was delighted with “a fantastic result” as Ferrari’s latest upgrades worked a treat in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix. Team-mate Charles Leclerc was only beaten by pole-sitter Lando Norris while Hamilton also starred to make it two Ferraris in the top four.
It was the 40-year-old’s best Grand Prix qualifying result of the year so far and a performance he was delighted with, even if he felt there was more on the table. Hamilton smiled: It’s a fantastic result. The team have worked hard to bring us a new floor this weekend.
“Considering yesterday [in practice] we were a lot further off, six or nine tenths off, it’s nice to be much closer and on the second row, which is really fantastic. My last lap wasn’t perfect and I think I could have been second, so there’s lots of positives to take out of that.
“We continue to pull together to protect each other and block out all the noise. It’s an incredible team and we’re working to put all the pieces of the puzzle in the right place. I’m really really happy with the progress we’re making.”
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He was less than one tenth of a second slower than Leclerc and the seven-time F1 champion thinks he’s starting to level the playing field. He said: “I’m edging closer in terms of performance of Charles, who’s really, really used to the car. He hardly ever changes anything, so that’s really positive.
“Also, I had more time in the lap. I was nearly three tenths up going into turn six and I had a massive snap going in, and then I came across the line six tenths down. So that would have put me second.”
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But Hamilton refused to say whether he felt he could convert it into a maiden Ferrari podium, having targeted that before this season only to suffer on race day. He smirked: “Every race I’ve been saying I can’t wait to get that first podium, so I’m not going to say that today! I’ll just stay quiet and try to do a better job tomorrow.”
Like Hamilton, Leclerc has been critical of Ferrari’s car this season but seemed much happier with the upgrades introduced this weekend. He said: “Monaco was the last time we started on the front row and it’s been a difficult season overall, but the team have kept pushing and we brought some new parts this weekend which for sure made a difference.
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“If you look at the gaps, everybody is super close so it’s a big thanks to the team. I’m happy with the lap and we know that we normally have a better car during the race than in qualifying so, hopefully, we can put a bit more pressure on the McLarens.”
“The upgrades definitely helped us today. How much is difficult to know but, when you see how fine the margins were – apart from Lando – it definitely helped us to get to the front row. We did a great job and have worked very well this weekend. I’ll do everything I can to make the McLarens’ lives as tough as possible.”