Lewis Hamilton has acknowledged that he remains less than fully confident when braking in his new Ferrari car. Despite progress in adapting to the vehicle, the seven-time World Champion stressed that mastering the Ferrari’s behavior under braking is still a work in progress, highlighting ongoing challenges since his switch from Mercedes.
Qualifying Struggles and Race Recovery Highlight Ongoing Issues
At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, Hamilton and Ferrari attributed their low qualifying position of 12th place to setup decisions made before the race weekend. Although Hamilton managed to improve to eighth by the end of the race, the performance was below expectations for a driver of his experience. Nonetheless, Hamilton took some reassurance from his ability to compete during the race despite these setbacks.
I think there’s still some improvements to make in terms of how aggressive I can be,
Hamilton said.
The car has been quite snappy, so still not 100% confident under braking when I’m attacking on the brakes.
He added,
In the last race, I was but in this race, didn’t feel it so much with the setup that we ended up having.
Progress Made Despite Lack of Strong Results
Hamilton described the development of the Ferrari car over recent races as “crazy” because despite the team feeling that progress has been made, the results have not matched those improvements. In the last five races, he has yet to finish higher than sixth, underscoring the difficulty in translating better performance into top finishes.
He reflected,
“It’s kind of crazy, because we’ve been progressing yet we’ve not had results, really in the last few races.
But there’s not like no progress so I think we’re able to do a good weekend and a good result.”
Team Order Miscommunication with Leclerc Causes Late-Race Confusion
The race’s most notable moment came when Hamilton was instructed by Ferrari to let teammate Charles Leclerc pass near the end of the race, after reversing the order earlier. Hamilton, however, misjudged the timing and failed to slow down sufficiently, sparking a minor team order confusion.
Leclerc downplayed any friction, emphasizing the minimal impact of finishing positions so far back on the grid.
I think it was very clear, but I really don’t care for an eighth place at the end,
he said.
He further explained,
“I don’t think that this should be the talking point. Unfortunately, we have been very slow all weekend, and that’s where we should focus on. P8 or P9, or P9 or P8, is not something that really interests me, so it’s fine.
I mean, there are rules that we know we’ve got to work with, and today, maybe those rules were not respected.
But again, I mean, P8/P9, P9/P8, that’s small.”
Broader Impact and Hamilton’s Championship Position
Hamilton currently sits sixth in the Formula 1 World Championship standings after 17 races, reflecting an inconsistent period for Ferrari and for the driver himself. His comments reveal both the frustration and tension within the team as they continue to try and unlock the Ferrari car’s potential under new regulations. The ongoing struggle with braking confidence will be a key area to watch as Ferrari aims to improve results in the remaining races of the season.
