Lewis Hamilton has expressed his disbelief at Ferrari’s inability to adequately warm up their tires during the qualifying session of the Dutch Grand Prix of Formula 1. Both Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc needed two warming laps to achieve the proper tire temperature, finishing in fifth and sixth positions respectively, their worst performance of the summer.
Hamilton stated that the tires’ failure to function properly was a key factor during qualifying: ‘The tires were the main culprit, we really struggled to get them to work. They weren’t ready in the first sector, and that’s where we lost most of the time.’ With an insufficient warming lap, he lacked the necessary confidence to tackle the first corner with determination.
After the session, Hamilton admitted that, unlike other teams, Ferrari seems to have a persistent problem with warming their tires. ‘I don’t know how they did it yesterday, but we couldn’t do it,’ said the Briton. The situation was similar for Leclerc, who believed that taking two warming laps was the best decision, although he had to accept that other teams set better times.
Despite the difficulties in qualifying, Hamilton praised his teammate’s race pace, noting that Ferrari often performs better in races compared to qualifying. Leclerc agreed with his stance, pointing out that adapting the car’s performance between the two phases is a constant challenge. ‘It’s a complex situation that we need to work on,’ he concluded.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
