Lewis Hamilton says this 12 months’s Ferrari is essentially the most troublesome automobile 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 finally led to disappointment with Hamilton fifth and teammate Charles Leclerc sixth. Moist climate offered a possibility to make fast progress however Hamilton pale after placing early stress on eventual winner Lando Norris, and was unable to shut the hole to Nico Hulkenberg late on.
“Troublesome day I believe for everyone,” Hamilton stated. “Not the consequence that I hoped for, however acquired some factors nonetheless … It was essentially the most troublesome automobile I’ve pushed right here in these circumstances.
“I used to be placing [Norris] below plenty of stress. I had an opportunity on Lando into Flip 15. After that I simply struggled to maintain up, the tires dropped off massively. The automobile was unbelievably difficult to drive.
“I believe, finally, I discovered so much, there’s heaps to take from the day. It is solely my second time driving within the moist on this automobile. I can not even categorical to you ways onerous it’s. It isn’t a automobile that likes these circumstances.
“However having numerous information to take from this, for me it is to take a seat down with the individuals which might be designing the automobile for subsequent 12 months, as a result of there’s parts of this automobile that may go into the next 12 months.”
Ferrari staff principal Fred Vasseur admits the staff 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 most likely 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 blokes on intermediates.
“It’s the sort of state of affairs that if you happen to 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 you need to take the choice on the pit wall it’s at all times a tough one since you at all times must 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 automobile was. It was a troublesome one.”