Lewis Hamilton lauded Ferrari`s execution during Austrian Grand Prix qualifying as `world-class`. The team secured their most favorable grid positions of what has been a challenging 2024 season so far.
Charles Leclerc surprisingly placed second, splitting the dominant McLarens and achieving Ferrari`s best qualifying result in a Grand Prix this season. Hamilton will start fourth, marking the first time he`s placed a Ferrari on the second row since joining the Scuderia.
Ferrari introduced a new floor upgrade for their SF-24 car this weekend. Hamilton, who finished qualifying within a tenth of a second of both Leclerc and Oscar Piastri in third place, called the outcome “fantastic.” He credited the team at the factory for their hard work on the new component.
Reflecting on their performance the previous day, he noted that being significantly closer to the front and securing positions on the second row was genuinely fantastic. He also highlighted Leclerc`s front-row start.
Hamilton admitted his final qualifying lap wasn`t perfect and felt he could have potentially finished second, but emphasized the many positives to take from the session.
He also commented on the team`s operational performance, stating it was their best day, particularly during qualifying. He found the timing, traffic information, and track positioning coordination to be “the best and proper world-class,” which is something the team has been working towards.
Ferrari, and especially team principal Frederic Vasseur, have faced recent scrutiny from the Italian media. This pressure comes as the team`s pre-season aspirations for a championship challenge haven`t materialized as the season reaches its midpoint.
Addressing this external pressure, Hamilton commented, “Ultimately we continue to pull together and protect each other and block out all the noise, and just keep our heads down.”
He described Ferrari as “an incredible team” and mentioned collaborating with Fred (Vasseur) to put the necessary pieces in place, acknowledging that it`s a gradual, step-by-step process rather than an instant fix.
He concluded by stating they must continue working and expressed that he is “really happy with the progress we are making.”
Hamilton Hopes to End Podium Drought
Although Hamilton won the Sprint race in China and took third in the Miami Sprint earlier this year, his last official podium finish in a Formula 1 Grand Prix was in November last year at the Las Vegas GP, when he was still driving for Mercedes.
The seven-time world champion is currently enduring a streak of 12 main races without a top-three finish, just one short of his longest such sequence in his distinguished 18-year F1 career.
Regarding the possibility of ending this streak, Hamilton said, “Every race, I`ve been saying I can`t wait to get that first podium, so I`m not going to say that today!”
He added, “I`m just going to stay quiet and try to do a better job tomorrow.”
Leclerc Prepared to Make Trouble for McLaren
Ferrari`s qualifying result was somewhat aided by yellow flags on the final laps, triggered by Pierre Gasly`s spin, which impacted Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen. Charles Leclerc finished over half a second behind polesitter Lando Norris.
Despite the gap to Norris, Leclerc found clear positives in the performance of the upgraded car. Ferrari managed to outqualify Mercedes (who won the previous race in Canada) and positioned themselves as the closest challengers to McLaren and Verstappen over the weekend.
Leclerc confirmed that the upgrades “definitely helped us,” though he found it difficult to quantify the exact benefit given how tight the times were behind Norris. He expressed pride in securing a front-row start thanks to the team`s efforts.
He felt they had a great overall weekend and worked very effectively. Looking ahead to the race, he noted that their car is often stronger on race pace compared to its qualifying performance.
When asked if he could challenge for the win, Leclerc replied, “I will give it all. We will see, I don`t have the answers for now.”
He acknowledged the significant time gap to Norris in qualifying but suggested that tyre management in the race could be a strength for their car. While uncertain if they can match McLaren`s race pace, he stated, “I will do absolutely everything to make McLaren`s life as tough as possible.”
