Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari has achieved `mega progress` after securing fourth place at the Austrian Grand Prix, equaling his best finish of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Hamilton had previously described Ferrari`s operations as `world-class` following his season-best qualifying performance in fourth. Despite finishing ten seconds adrift of his teammate Charles Leclerc, who secured his fourth podium of the season, Hamilton remained positive about his race result.
Ferrari introduced a new floor upgrade in Austria aiming to close the gap to the front runners. In the race, only McLaren proved faster, with Mercedes driver George Russell finishing significantly behind Hamilton.
Mega progress for us as a team, so we have to say a huge thank you again to the guys at the factory for bringing the upgrade this weekend. It didn`t seem much on paper. It was really a small step, but perhaps it had a bigger influence on our performance.
For us to be the second fastest team this weekend, we`re not a minute down from McLaren, which is positive. To bag some really strong points, I`m definitely happy with it.
The seven-time world champion is optimistic heading into his home race, the British Grand Prix, where he holds a record nine victories.
He expressed pride in Ferrari`s efforts at the Red Bull Ring, stating:
I think everyone in the team will be happier. I think definitely the guys back at the factory can be proud of the work they`ve done. Everyone here has definitely been a lot calmer and more methodical this weekend, definitely a better output from the team.
Leclerc Sees Ferrari Moving in the Right Direction
Ferrari has faced challenges this year running their car low to the ground due to a rear suspension issue, which has impacted performance. Following the disqualification of both Leclerc and Hamilton at the Chinese Grand Prix, the team has focused on modifying the car`s design to allow a lower ride height without excessive wear on the plank.
Leclerc`s three podium finishes in the last four races highlight Ferrari`s developmental strides, although a considerable performance gap to McLaren still persists.
We are working in the right direction. I think we`ve brought some upgrades this weekend which helped us to close the gap a little bit. The gap is still significant unfortunately and we`ve got to push in order to bring as many upgrades as possible as soon as possible in order to close that gap.
But it`s been a positive weekend overall, I think. I`m happy that we`ve maximised our potential, now we`ve got to have a better potential.
Ferrari aims to build on their development curve, similar to last year when they significantly improved throughout the season, finishing close behind champions McLaren in the Constructors` Championship.
Neither Leclerc nor Hamilton have had a realistic opportunity to win a Grand Prix in 2025 so far, a situation Leclerc hopes will change.
Just for the people back in Maranello, for the people at the track, for us drivers as well, to know that we can turn the situation around and be competitive again, it`s very important for everyone. It would be really nice [to win].
However, by the season end, I think it`s going to be very unlikely to turn the situation around to a point where we can win the Constructors` Championship because the points difference is very significant and I don`t see why McLaren will start doing a really bad job from now on. We need to keep our head down, keep working very hard, and whatever we can still learn this season, we need to learn it.
Gilbert Pendleton