Lewis Hamilton arrived on the Spa Grand Prix weekend driving a powerful wave of type, constantly ending throughout the high six—second solely to championship chief Oscar Piastri on this regard. For the reason that Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the place Hamilton impressively surged from twelfth on the grid to fourth place, he had maintained a outstanding streak of top-six finishes throughout the final 10 aggressive periods. Whereas he had but to finish his podium drought, Hamilton’s performances mirrored rising stability and consistency. Nevertheless, this promising run unraveled at Spa-Francorchamps. Regardless of hardly ever making errors this season and demonstrating stable tempo within the Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton’s weekend was marred by two uncharacteristic errors that resulted in his elimination in Q1 on each qualifying days—a spin on Friday afternoon adopted by a monitor limits violation on Saturday. Although he recovered to complete seventh within the race, Charles Leclerc’s podium end underscored the true potential of the Ferrari SF-25.
Gary Anderson Challenges Lewis Hamilton’s Rationalization of Ferrari Rear LockingIn his column for The Telegraph, former System 1 designer Gary Anderson expressed doubts about Hamilton’s reluctance to totally settle for accountability for his current shortcomings. Anderson instructed this perspective echoed Hamilton’s strategy throughout his remaining seasons with Mercedes, when he was overshadowed by teammate George Russell and managed solely two wins in three years. In response to Anderson, Hamilton nonetheless seems affected by the shock of Mercedes’ drastic decline because the introduction of ground-effect laws in 2022, a downturn that ended his dominance and shifted his mindset from anticipating victories to easily aiming for podium finishes.
Though Lewis Hamilton described his Q1 eliminations as “unacceptable,” his feedback concerning the spin throughout Dash qualifying stirred controversy. The Briton had implied that locking the rear brakes in such a way was unfamiliar to him—a declare that has been met with appreciable skepticism amongst F1 specialists. Anderson contended that locking the rear brakes is a typical prevalence at Spa and customarily pertains to brake stability changes, reasonably than an unfamiliar phenomenon.
Anderson urged Hamilton to regulate each his mindset and driving model to higher go well with the Ferrari. He wrote that whereas Hamilton acknowledged his errors, he appeared to nonetheless place blame on staff points as an alternative of focusing solely on correcting his personal efficiency. Anderson highlighted that Hamilton’s strategy had not developed considerably since his Mercedes days, the place, at instances, he appeared to deflect accountability. He emphasised that these trendy F1 automobiles are advanced machines requiring a measured strategy—drivers should usually prioritize driving throughout the limits as an alternative of aggressively pushing past them when situations don’t permit.
Hamilton’s Robust Strategic Name Partially Redeems Spa WeekendDespite qualifying setbacks, Hamilton demonstrated one in all his best strengths throughout the race by way of impeccable strategic selections. Working carefully along with his race engineer Riccardo Adami, Hamilton was among the many first drivers to change to slick tyres on the perfect second, a transfer that allowed him to climb a formidable 11 positions from his pit lane begin. Even Max Verstappen’s engineer publicly praised Hamilton’s good timing, which helped the Briton preserve his outstanding streak of scoring factors at each Grand Prix this season.
Wanting forward, Lewis Hamilton is predicted to develop extra comfy with Ferrari’s brake system. At Spa, he was nonetheless adapting to new Brembo brake pads designed to boost his braking really feel and confidence. This adjustment interval seemingly restricted his capability to push aggressively on the brakes, however future races ought to see him grow to be extra pure and assertive on this space.
Nevertheless, challenges stay for each the British driver and Ferrari. The Maranello staff continues to instruct its drivers to raise and coast throughout races to handle gasoline and tyre degradation—a sign that basic efficiency points persist throughout the SF-25. For Lewis Hamilton to shut the hole to his rivals, each his driving and the automotive’s capabilities should enhance considerably because the season progresses.
Jul 31, 2025
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