Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur expressed optimism regarding the car`s performance during practice for the Spanish Grand Prix. He suggested that the car showed more potential than some of Lewis Hamilton`s `extreme` comments over the team radio might have implied.
After both cars finished in the top four in Friday`s first practice session in Barcelona, Ferrari`s pace dropped in the second session. They were half a second behind the leading McLaren, with Charles Leclerc finishing fifth and Lewis Hamilton 11th.
Hamilton, who had been third fastest in the first session, later admitted his day was `not fun.` During the second practice, he had described his SF-25 over the radio as `not driveable.`
Reflecting on Ferrari`s performance on Friday – the first day on track since new rules clamping down on front-wing flexing were introduced – Vasseur commented, “I think we had a very good pace this morning, we struggled a bit more in the afternoon.”
“We had a decent lap with Charles before his mistake at Turn Seven; it was an improvement on P1. But the goal is to put a lap together, not just do some good corners.”
“Then we struggled a bit more at the beginning of each of the long stints. I think that was true for us but also for a couple of other cars. The track was very dirty with a lot of marbles.”
“Overall, it was a long day, and we also gathered good information. It was our first time running the new front wing, and we`ll have a lot of work tonight.”
Regarding Hamilton specifically, Vasseur was asked about the seven-time champion`s mood after the high of a strong recovery drive at Imola fortnight ago was followed by a frustrating weekend in Monaco. Vasseur responded, “His comments on the radio today were a bit extreme, but he also did a strong last stint on the soft tyre, matching the lap times of the top two.”
“This means that perhaps the car wasn`t as terrible as he suggested on the radio.”
“But again, for me, the comments drivers make in the car aren`t a drama, as long as they come back, and we have a constructive debriefing.”
Vasseur did acknowledge that Ferrari needed to improve the car`s handling. When Nico Rosberg, who watched the second session trackside, suggested the SF-25 looked the most difficult car to drive, Vasseur agreed, “It`s no secret that we`re struggling a little with the balance of the car.”
“We have to improve on this, but as long as we can correct it and have a good race, then that`s fine. That`s been the case in the last couple of weekends.”
“We need to improve our performance on a single lap, but I think that`s more about tyre management and getting the tyres into the right operating window at the start of the lap, rather than anything else. The balance isn`t perfect, that`s true. But it`s true for us, and I think it`s also true for others.”
Speaking after finishing 11th fastest, Hamilton described his day as “not fun.” He added, “It`s a beautiful place, the weather has been amazing, but, no, not a good day.”
When asked how he uses his experience to work through issues and motivate the team, Hamilton said, “I wouldn`t say I`m motivating the team at the moment. You just keep your head down, you keep working. You just don`t give up.”
“You keep going, you keep pushing, you keep trying to focus on solving the issues, which we`ll attempt to do.”
“You arrive on a Friday hoping for a good day, and then it doesn`t go well. But then you have a weekend like Monaco where, all of a sudden, the car feels great. Honestly, I expected the car to be good today.”
“P1 wasn`t too bad, but P2 was quite a lot worse. Naturally, that`s frustrating for everyone, but we had a problem that caused us to lose some downforce, so hopefully, with that fixed for tomorrow, we`ll be in a better position.”
Sky Sports F1’s Nico Rosberg commented on Hamilton`s post-Practice Two interview: “What I saw there from Lewis was also a little more acceptance. Yes, the situation is difficult, the expectation has also come down, and now build from there with a lower expectation. I think he’s in that phase now, and he still seemed to maintain some positivity for Saturday. They had an issue with the car, which is probably worth a couple of tenths, putting him right where Leclerc was. He had an awesome race run at the end there, so let’s see. Maybe it can still be a good day on Saturday.”
In contrast to Hamilton, teammate Charles Leclerc was more optimistic about the SF-25`s potential at the high-speed Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. “It`s very, very warm, so that makes it a bit trickier on track, and the grip isn`t as good as we want, but it hasn`t been too bad,” said Leclerc.
“Honestly, it`s been a bit more positive than we expected coming here, so that`s good. There`s more performance in the car, which I hope we`ll unlock going into qualifying.”
“There`s still quite a bit of work to be done, but I don`t think we`re too far off with the car.”
After weeks of speculation about whether F1`s new front-wing load-test rules would shake up the grid, Friday`s running concluded with the championship-leading driver setting the pace for the championship-leading team. P2 pacesetter Oscar Piastri`s single-lap advantage on the soft tyres was a comfortable three-tenths of a second over second-placed George Russell in the Mercedes.
This prompted Russell to comment sarcastically about the rule change`s effect: “It clearly slowed McLaren down a lot, so good news.” McLaren has consistently stated the clarification would not significantly impact their car`s performance.
Despite their apparent Friday advantage, Piastri sees threats from other teams this weekend, especially on a circuit expected to suit Max Verstappen`s Red Bull. “It`s been a bit of an up and down day,” said Piastri, who was half a second behind teammate Norris in the first practice session. “Ending on an up, which is good, but our competitors look quick.”
“Verstappen has been quick all day, Ferrari have been there, Mercedes showed up at the end, so I think it`s going to be a tight battle.”
“There are definitely still some things to try and work on.”
Piastri added, “We definitely expected Red Bull to be quick, so that`s not a big surprise. We`re just trying to make the car a bit faster, really, that`s all. We tried a few things today; some were good, some weren`t so good, so we`re learning.”
Verstappen finished third fastest, clocking the exact same time as Norris. Although the reigning four-time champion, as usual, wasn`t entirely satisfied with his car after day one, he was noticeably positive about Red Bull`s start to the weekend.
“It was an okay Friday,” said Verstappen, who has won the last three F1 races in Spain. “We`ve had worse Fridays. I felt a bit happier with the car. We`re still not exactly where we want to be, but it was definitely more positive.”
“Of course, every track is a bit different, but I still want a better feeling from the car. But I`ve also had Fridays where we were completely off the pace, so it`s somewhere in the middle.”
Wesley Dunham 
Gilbert Pendleton