Lewis Hamilton feels his fourth-place result at the recent Emilia Romagna Grand Prix suggests Ferrari is nearing the capability to win races consistently.
Starting from a disappointing 12th position in Imola, Hamilton executed a strong race on Sunday. He capitalized on opportunities presented by a Virtual Safety Car and a full Safety Car period, eventually overtaking George Russell, Alex Albon, and Charles Leclerc in the latter stages to finish behind winner Max Verstappen and the McLaren pair, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Speaking over the team radio after the race, his first in Italy as a Ferrari driver, he encouraged the team, saying, `Let`s keep pushing.` He also shared his conviction:
`If we can get that qualifying better and we can race like that then we`ll be winning.`
Ferrari had introduced rear corner and rear wing upgrades for the Imola weekend hoping to improve pace. However, both Hamilton and his teammate Leclerc struggled with tyre performance during qualifying, failing to reach the final Q3 session.
Hamilton described Saturday`s qualifying performance as `devastating` for the team, and he initially held low expectations for scoring significant points in the race.
His hopes seemed further diminished when he lost a position to Kimi Antonelli at the start. However, a strategy involving a longer first stint than many competitors, followed by fresh tyres after a Safety Car intervention, helped propel him from seventh to his eventual fourth place late in the race.
Reflecting on the unexpected turnaround, Hamilton stated, `We didn’t expect the result that we had today.`
`We came into the weekend very hopeful and there was a small fix that came for a component that we were hoping was going to help us progress – which it did.`
`Then we went into qualifying and to be out of Q3 was tough to swallow, but I came in today and everyone`s heads were high and super driven.`
He praised the team`s execution: `They did such a fantastic job with the strategy. The timing was right, calm and concise and clear – and I felt I won with the car.`
Hamilton had previously voiced frustration over strategy calls at the Miami Grand Prix. However, he felt the key decisions were handled correctly at Imola. He even suggested he might have contended for a podium if the Safety Car period had been shorter, allowing for more laps to attack.
`It felt so great to finally get the set-up right and to have that bond with the car throughout the race,` he remarked. `I`m ecstatic. It would have been great to have had some more laps and challenged for a podium.`
He also highlighted the positive collaboration within his team: `I think we`re slowly getting there and I think me and [race engineer Riccardo Adami] did a fantastic job with his communication with me.`
`I was calm, so then I think he was calm, and the team were calm and executing the strategy, and the pit stops were awesome.`
Villeneuve Questions Ferrari`s True Pace
Despite Hamilton`s optimism, former world champion Jacques Villeneuve offered a more cautious perspective, doubting whether Ferrari`s Imola performance truly indicated race-winning potential this season.
Villeneuve believes that Saturday`s qualifying pace provided a more accurate reflection of the team`s underlying challenges.
`The qualifying was not because they messed up, the pace simply was not there,` Villeneuve commented. `So you can`t have a turnaround with that. You still need the whole car, the whole team, it needs to get better.`
He acknowledged Hamilton`s skill, adding, `Obviously, as we saw today, Lewis is capable when it`s there. When there`s an occasion, he rises like he did today.`
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur also tempered expectations, urging caution about over-interpreting Hamilton`s result.
`We have to stop this where if Lewis has a good weekend everything is perfect or if it`s not a good weekend, everything is a disaster,` Vasseur told reporters. `We have to take it easy, stay calm and work together. I`m very pleased with the job done by everyone in the team today.`
Vasseur stressed the importance of collective effort: `Lewis and Charles did a good job, strategy did a good job. The only way for us to come back is to work as a team.`
The next race on the F1 calendar is the Monaco Grand Prix.
Gilbert Pendleton