Lewis Hamilton says this yr’s Ferrari is probably the most tough automotive he’s ever pushed within the moist at Silverstone, after ending fourth within the British Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s hopes have been excessive going into qualifying on Saturday after spectacular tempo within the dry on each high and low gas, however Q3 in the end led to disappointment with Hamilton fifth and teammate Charles Leclerc sixth. Moist climate supplied a possibility to make fast progress however Hamilton pale after placing early strain on eventual winner Lando Norris, and was unable to shut the hole to Nico Hulkenberg late on.
“Tough day I believe for everyone,” Hamilton stated. “Not the consequence that I hoped for, however acquired some factors nonetheless … It was probably the most tough automotive I’ve pushed right here in these circumstances.
“I used to be placing [Norris] underneath loads of strain. I had an opportunity on Lando into Flip 15. After that I simply struggled to maintain up, the tires dropped off massively. The automotive was unbelievably tough to drive.
“I believe, in the end, I discovered loads, there’s tons to take from the day. It is solely my second time driving within the moist on this automotive. I can not even specific to you ways laborious it’s. It isn’t a automotive that likes these circumstances.
“However having a lot of information to take from this, for me it is to sit down down with the folks which are designing the automotive for subsequent yr, as a result of there’s parts of this automotive that may go into the next yr.”
Ferrari group principal Fred Vasseur admits the group didn’t make the proper calls with its technique both, though he factors on the market have been different components that made decision-making a problem.
“You possibly can say now that it was in all probability one lap too early [to fit slicks], as a result of he went straight in Flip 3 and 4 and he misplaced 4 or 5 seconds in these two corners,” Vasseur stated. “However [Fernando] Alonso pitted earlier than and he was already sooner in some corners than all the fellows on intermediates.
“It’s the type of scenario that in the event you wait the others do it earlier than you and it’s at all times too late and I believe it’s fairly straightforward to say after the race ‘first pit cease would have been higher one lap earlier than, second pit cease one lap later’.
“However truthfully on this, when it’s important to take the choice on the pit wall it’s at all times a difficult one since you at all times should anticipate. And on high of that we misplaced the GPS of Lewis for the entire race and that meant we have been utterly blind and we didn’t know the place the automotive was. It was a tough one.”
