During the qualifying session of the Dutch Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton expressed his surprise at the difficulties faced by Ferrari drivers in heating their tires. Both drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, needed two warming laps to get the tires to the right temperature, leaving them in 5th and 6th positions respectively, several tenths behind pole setter, Lando Norris.
Hamilton commented after qualifying that «the tires were the main culprit, as they struggled to work properly on the first lap.» The Brit indicated that the lack of heat made him less confident when attacking the first corner, marking a significant difference in his performance during the session.
Regarding Ferrari’s strategy, Hamilton stated that he did not understand why his team could not match the efficiency of other teams: «We didn’t see a way to do it, and fortunately the rain didn’t interfere.»
For his part, Leclerc shared his analysis of the situation after qualifying, where he started fourth but lost positions due to an inadequate lap time: «I felt that doing two warming laps was the right decision, but it seems that other teams managed to heat their tires better on the first lap.»
Despite the setbacks in qualifying, Hamilton did not lose hope for the race. He pointed out that the race pace of the Ferraris could be «particularly good» and felt that they could perform well in the Sunday race. Leclerc agreed, indicating that the team must learn to translate race performance into qualifying, as they often seem more competitive in the race than in qualifying sessions.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI