Lewis Hamilton is setting his sights on achieving his first Grand Prix podium finish for Ferrari. The Briton secured fifth place in qualifying for Sunday`s race in Spain, making him the leading Ferrari driver on the grid.
Bouncing back from a challenging Friday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which he described as `not fun`, Hamilton equaled his best qualifying position since joining Ferrari. Crucially, he outqualified his teammate Charles Leclerc, who finished seventh, for only the second time in nine attempts this season.
Hamilton reported a significant improvement in his SF-25, finding it `much more drivable` and `much more enjoyable` after the team successfully fixed a floor issue that had previously cost him `a lot of downforce` during Friday`s second practice session, where he was only 11th fastest.
Starting behind the dominant McLarens, Max Verstappen`s Red Bull, and George Russell`s Mercedes, Hamilton is now focused on the 66-lap race. The event is anticipated to feature a tactical battle, likely centred around different approaches to a two-stop strategy.
“I`m looking forward to it,” Hamilton commented after qualifying. “It will be close between everybody. It`s amazing how close everybody is. Half a tenth can put you from sixth to 11th.”
Discussing the race ahead, he added, “The long run will be challenging for everybody… The key will be getting a good start.”
Hamilton made clear his target for the race: “My goal is to try and get a podium. I`ve not had one for God knows how long.”
While he has achieved top-three finishes in both Sprint races held this season (a win in China and third in Miami), Hamilton`s last standard Grand Prix podium was a second-place finish for Mercedes at the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November last year – 11 races ago. He has recorded just one podium in his last 18 Grand Prix starts.
Leclerc Explains Tyre Strategy Gamble
Teammate Charles Leclerc is also targeting a top-three finish, though he faces a tougher challenge starting from seventh. His qualifying was potentially compromised by a strategic decision regarding tyre usage.
In the final part of qualifying (Q3), Leclerc opted for only one flying lap attempt on new soft tyres, unlike many competitors who did two runs. This initially placed him fourth, but he was then overtaken by other drivers` improvements, dropping him to seventh.
Leclerc explained that he had used an extra set of new soft tyres during practice compared to rivals. This left him with fewer new softs for qualifying but provided him with an additional set of the more durable medium tyres for the race.
Explaining his decision, Leclerc stated: “I had no tyres left. I think we were one of the only cars to have only four new sets of softs for the whole of qualifying. All the others around us had five new softs.”
He continued, “So I already knew it was going to be difficult and I only wanted to use three softs, which is making our life a lot more difficult. I take responsibility for it because the team had pushed for a different way, but I`m quite happy with my choice.”
Leclerc accepted the risk: “Yes, I sacrificed today, I hope it will pay off tomorrow. If it doesn`t, it`s my fault.”
Leclerc, who has secured two podiums this season, including a victory in Monaco last week, reiterated his race-day goal: “The podium. I think the race pace is strong, it depends how much we are going to overtake.”
Gilbert Pendleton 
Wesley Dunham