Former Formula 1 driver Anthony Davidson has interpreted Lewis Hamilton’s body language as an indicator that Ferrari’s pace might be better than what the practice times suggest during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. Despite Hamilton finishing 10th in the second practice session, over 0.7 seconds behind teammate Oscar Piastri, Davidson believes there is more speed yet to be revealed from Ferrari.
The FP2 session was disrupted by two red flags, which prevented Hamilton from completing a clear final flying lap. Charles Leclerc managed to set a time on soft tires but was only ninth fastest, just ahead of Hamilton. Davidson’s observations came after Hamilton’s interview, where the driver remained unusually positive about Ferrari’s performance.
Davidson explained,
“I can read a lot by his body language and he wears his heart on his sleeve as we know, for good and bad.”
He added,
“I am surprised he’s sounding so positive. I take positivity from Ferrari’s efforts and what we can see happening tomorrow and on Sunday because if he feels comfortable in the car then he’s such an instinctive, intuitive driver that he’s already feeling that the car under him is doing good things.”
According to Davidson, Hamilton has found the car he wanted for this track, which leaves him in a strong position heading into qualifying and the race.
“Onwards and upwards for him in that car and he’s certainly feeling more comfortable,”
Davidson remarked.
“He just needs that luck to be on his side for the whole weekend now.”
Progress Reflected in Hamilton’s Feedback
Lewis Hamilton has steadily improved his form since the summer break, narrowing the gap to Charles Leclerc in recent rounds and aiming to achieve his first podium of the season. Hamilton described Friday at Singapore as mostly positive, noting it was his first time driving the Ferrari on this circuit.
“It’s generally been a good day. I have enjoyed driving the car. It’s the first time driving a Ferrari at this track,”
Hamilton said.
“I’ve always wondered all these years from looking at onboards what the differences would be and it’s the first time I got to feel that today. It was positive. Obviously, McLaren are very fast.”
Hamilton acknowledged the challenge of setting a clean lap in Singapore’s tight and twisty street circuit.
“Getting a clean lap isn’t easy. I feel like there’s lots of positives to take from today, lots of learnings. Quite happy with the progress that we’ve made from session to session,”
he explained.
Looking ahead, Hamilton does not foresee major setup changes overnight but expects continued refinements to extract additional performance. He added,
“I feel like we’ve made steps forward today. I feel like overnight we won’t change much but of course, trying to refine the setup. See if we can extract a little bit more to get as close as we can to the McLarens.”
Implications for Qualifying and Race Weekend
Hamilton’s confidence in the Ferrari car, combined with Davidson’s analysis, suggests that Ferrari’s true pace could emerge in qualifying and the race. This optimistic outlook indicates that the team may be better placed to challenge McLaren and other rivals than the practice timings currently show. The Singapore Grand Prix’s unpredictable conditions and street circuit nature also mean that track position and luck will play crucial roles.
If Hamilton manages to continue his upward momentum and capitalize on the car’s strengths, he could significantly improve his standing in the championship rounds ahead. The weekend will reveal whether the encouraging signals from practice translate into competitive results on race day.
