After finishing fifth in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton believes he has a chance to fight for the podium in today’s race, thanks to the SF-25 car which is consistently more competitive on Sunday than on Saturday. Thanks to Charles Leclerc’s strategic choice in Q3, the British driver is once again the best-placed Ferrari driver at the start, which he previously managed only in Shanghai.
The Ferrari driver is entering his ninth race of the 2025 season, in which he has yet to finish on the podium. He had some problems with his car during the race weekend in Barcelona, but has since developed a strong race pace in long stints that gives him the feeling that he could be one step closer to winning the championship.
Maximum attack
“For some reason, in one-lap qualifying, we don’t have a car that can fight for pole position. Red Bull and especially McLaren are extremely fast in one lap, but I think our racing pace is at a higher level, so I hope that tomorrow we will be able to show that and attack those in front of us. My goal is to reach the podium. We will have to be aggressive from the first corner – maximum attack,” said Hamilton.
The seven-time champion knows that the key to success in Barcelona will be good tyre management. To achieve this, he will need to confirm the progress he has made in his feel with the SF-25 car. In addition, it is very important to avoid dirty air in order to ensure that the tyres have a longer life, and therefore better performance. A very good start also contributes to all this, something the Briton intends to do.
“I’ll do my best to get a good start, and then it’s all about managing the tyres, which is very demanding,” he explains. “Every weekend I go out on track again as if it’s my first time with the team. The car is very different to what I’ve driven in previous years, so every weekend I’m adapting to this new driving style. It’s not a driving style that I’m comfortable with, but every time I go to a new track I adapt.”
Hamilton agreed with Leclerc that the SF-25 has improved when it comes to preparing the tyres for a fast lap:
“Today was better. In the previous races we obviously struggled, but in the last few races we have felt the improvement. I hope it will have the same effect here.”
