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Lewis Hamilton crossed the line in fifth at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday, two places behind where he started and a long way from the podium that went entirely to the Mercedesdrivers and Max Verstappen. Charles Leclerc had it worse, slipping back to eighth after qualifying on the front row. Ferrari‘s upgraded power unit arrived in Spielberg with genuine hope attached. It left with a lot of questions.
Hamilton was opened up on the issues with Sky Sports F1 following the race.
“The rears just dropped off on every stint,” he said, pointing to a car whose balance had become almost unmanageable over a race distance. “For some reason, the balance was very open, very difficult.” Tyre degradation compounded by a power deployment problem made the three-stop strategy feel like damage limitation rather than a genuine competitive plan.
The Scuderia came to Austria with the first engine upgrade allowed under the FIA’s ADUO framework – a revised internal combustion specification brought in together with a new fuel formula co-developed with Shell. It apparently closed the gap somewhat, but not enough for a circuit where over 60 percent of the lap is spent at full throttle and the altitude in the Styrian hills puts extra strain on turbochargers.
“Yeah, we’re going to have to push really, really hard to see when we can get the next power upgrade,” he continued. “But, yeah, the year around these guys… well, it’s just deployment. It doesn’t necessarily feel so much as power because when you start, come out of the corner, it feels like you’ve got the grunt, but it’s just deployment at the end where our tail falls off – and particularly Mercedes, they just keep going. So we’ve got to look at why and how we can improve that, but that’s not going to come for a while.”
Ferrari is believed to be around 25 horsepower down on Mercedes per Total Motorsport, and the Red Bull Ring has a habit of putting every last watt of that deficit on display. Even with the new engine specification installed, Hamilton had flagged during Friday’s practice sessions that Ferrari were losing somewhere between six tenths and a full second on the straights alone – a deficit that no single upgrade can simply erase.
George Russell won the race, his first victory since the Australian season opener, with Verstappen second and Kimi Antonelli third. Antonelli, who led the Drivers’ Championship by 41 points over Hamilton heading into the weekend, extended his advantage further as Russell leapfrogged Hamilton into second in the standings.
This stings a little. Hamilton’s Barcelona win two weeks ago was the breakthrough Ferrari had been building toward: Eight race weekends into the season, finally ending Mercedes’ unbeaten run. Austria was always going to be a harder circuit given the known power deficit, but the margin of the step back was eye-opening.
“Yeah, I kept to myself, really very good feelings. The getaway was poor, but then I was on the attack. I think I got past Charles and then I thought it wasn’t looking too bad in the first few laps. With George, I was kind of holding on for a second, and then the rears just dropped off on every stint.
“So, very tough one, but I’m grateful for the points. The team did a great job with the strategy and with the pit stops. The boys work so hard on the pit stops, so I’m really proud of them.”
Silverstone is next. It is Hamilton’s home race, a circuit he loves, and also one lined with long straights that logically plays into Ferrari’s current weakness. He’s well aware of that.
“Of course. I love Silverstone, and lots of straights unfortunately. But hopefully, the car will be in a bit of a nicer place there.”
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Hamilton was opened up on the issues with Sky Sports F1 following the race.
“The rears just dropped off on every stint,” he said, pointing to a car whose balance had become almost unmanageable over a race distance. “For some reason, the balance was very open, very difficult.” Tyre degradation compounded by a power deployment problem made the three-stop strategy feel like damage limitation rather than a genuine competitive plan.
The Deployment Gap Is the Real Problem
The Scuderia came to Austria with the first engine upgrade allowed under the FIA’s ADUO framework – a revised internal combustion specification brought in together with a new fuel formula co-developed with Shell. It apparently closed the gap somewhat, but not enough for a circuit where over 60 percent of the lap is spent at full throttle and the altitude in the Styrian hills puts extra strain on turbochargers.
“Yeah, we’re going to have to push really, really hard to see when we can get the next power upgrade,” he continued. “But, yeah, the year around these guys… well, it’s just deployment. It doesn’t necessarily feel so much as power because when you start, come out of the corner, it feels like you’ve got the grunt, but it’s just deployment at the end where our tail falls off – and particularly Mercedes, they just keep going. So we’ve got to look at why and how we can improve that, but that’s not going to come for a while.”
Ferrari is believed to be around 25 horsepower down on Mercedes per Total Motorsport, and the Red Bull Ring has a habit of putting every last watt of that deficit on display. Even with the new engine specification installed, Hamilton had flagged during Friday’s practice sessions that Ferrari were losing somewhere between six tenths and a full second on the straights alone – a deficit that no single upgrade can simply erase.
George Russell won the race, his first victory since the Australian season opener, with Verstappen second and Kimi Antonelli third. Antonelli, who led the Drivers’ Championship by 41 points over Hamilton heading into the weekend, extended his advantage further as Russell leapfrogged Hamilton into second in the standings.
This stings a little. Hamilton’s Barcelona win two weeks ago was the breakthrough Ferrari had been building toward: Eight race weekends into the season, finally ending Mercedes’ unbeaten run. Austria was always going to be a harder circuit given the known power deficit, but the margin of the step back was eye-opening.
“Yeah, I kept to myself, really very good feelings. The getaway was poor, but then I was on the attack. I think I got past Charles and then I thought it wasn’t looking too bad in the first few laps. With George, I was kind of holding on for a second, and then the rears just dropped off on every stint.
“So, very tough one, but I’m grateful for the points. The team did a great job with the strategy and with the pit stops. The boys work so hard on the pit stops, so I’m really proud of them.”
Silverstone is next. It is Hamilton’s home race, a circuit he loves, and also one lined with long straights that logically plays into Ferrari’s current weakness. He’s well aware of that.
“Of course. I love Silverstone, and lots of straights unfortunately. But hopefully, the car will be in a bit of a nicer place there.”
Continue reading...
