Lewis Hamilton expressed his belief that Ferrari has achieved `mega progress` after equalling his top result of the 2025 Formula 1 season with a fourth-place finish at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Hamilton characterized Ferrari`s operations as `world-class` during qualifying, where he secured his season-best fourth position. He remained positive about his race performance, despite finishing 10 seconds behind teammate Charles Leclerc, who achieved his fourth podium of the season.
Ferrari introduced a new floor in Austria to improve performance and get closer to the front runners. In Sunday`s race, only McLaren proved faster, while Mercedes` George Russell finished more than thirty seconds behind Hamilton.
“Mega progress for us as a team, so we have to say a huge thank you again to the guys at the factory for bringing the upgrade this weekend,” Hamilton commented.
“It didn`t seem like much on paper. It was really a small step, but perhaps it had a bigger influence on our performance.
“For us to be the second fastest team this weekend, we`re not a minute down from McLaren, which is positive. To bag some really strong points, I`m definitely happy with it.”
Hamilton feels confident heading into his home race, the British Grand Prix, this week, a race he has won a record nine times.
The seven-time world champion stated he is `really proud` of Ferrari`s performance at the Red Bull Ring.
“I think everyone in the team will be happier. I think definitely the guys back at the factory can be proud of the work they`ve done,” he said.
“Everyone here has definitely been a lot calmer and more methodical this weekend, definitely a better output from the team.”
Leclerc: Ferrari Making Strides
Ferrari has faced challenges running their car low to the ground this year due to a rear suspension issue, impacting their performance.
Following their disqualification at the Chinese Grand Prix, the team has been working to redesign the car to allow it to run lower without excessive wear on the plank.
Leclerc has achieved three podium finishes in the last four events, demonstrating Ferrari`s improvement, although they are still considerably behind McLaren.
“We are working in the right direction. I think we`ve brought some upgrades this weekend which helped us to close the gap a little bit,” Leclerc explained.
“The gap is still significant unfortunately and we`ve got to push in order to bring as many upgrades as possible as soon as possible in order to close that gap.
“But it`s been a positive weekend overall, I think. I`m happy that we`ve maximized our potential, now we`ve got to have a better potential.”
Ferrari aims to build on their progress from last year, when they significantly developed their car during the season and finished just 14 points behind champions McLaren in the Constructors` Championship.
Leclerc and Hamilton haven`t had a realistic opportunity to win a Grand Prix in 2025, something the Monegasque driver hopes will change.
“Just for the people back in Maranello, for the people at the track, for us drivers as well, to know that we can turn the situation around and be competitive again, it`s very important for everyone. It would be really nice [to win],” he commented.
“However, by the season end, I think it`s going to be very unlikely to turn the situation around to a point where we can win the Constructors` Championship because the points difference is very significant and I don`t see why McLaren will start doing a really bad job from now on.
“We need to keep our head down, keep working very hard, and whatever we can still learn this season, we need to learn it.”
