Hamilton ‘relieved’ after Ferrari confirmed Spanish GP car issue

Lewis Hamilton’s lackluster performance at the Spanish Grand Prix left him visibly disheartened, but the seven-time world champion revealed a sense of relief upon learning post-race that a technical issue with his Ferrari SF-25 had significantly hampered his pace.

Speaking ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, an event the Briton has won seven times in his F1 career, Hamilton explained that he had no idea at the time he was suffering from a technical issue.

During the race, he feared the problem was with his driving – only to be told in the post-race debriefing that his car had indeed been compromised.

“Unfortunately the team don't really want us to talk about it but we both had issues that were hindering us massively from halfway through the race,” the seven-time world champion revealed.

“I didn't know if we had that problem, but I said on the radio that it was the worst feeling the car ever had. And it truly was.

“At the end of the race I was like, 'I have never experienced something this bad for such a prolonged time through a race'.

“It wasn't until after the TV interviews when I got back to the engineers that I found out there was an issue, so it was a bit of a relief to hear that because it definitely didn't feel so terrible afterwards.”

Team principal Frederic Vasseur confirmed the issue publicly but declined to offer specifics, adding only that both Ferrari drivers had been impacted.

Not in Desperate Need of a “Good Weekend”

Hamilton’s first season with Ferrari has yet to live up to expectations. While the SF-25 car was billed as a potential championship contender, the results have fallen short – especially for the Briton.

Nine races in, Hamilton has yet to claim a Grand Prix podium, while his strongest result remains a Sprint victory in China.

Meanwhile, teammate Charles Leclerc has taken three podiums and has generally looked more at ease with the car.

Despite the comparative struggles, Hamilton remains calm and says he doesn’t feel a strong sense of urgency to bounce back immediately, even at a venue where he has historically thrived.

“I don't feel that I'm searching,” he said. “Of course, a good weekend is always a good thing. But I don't feel like I'm in a desperate need of one.

“I think it looks a lot worse outside than it probably is on the inside. Even just coming from engineering now, how they set the car up compared to any other year that I've been here is completely different.”

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Hamilton also lifted the curtain slightly on some of the adaptation challenges he's faced since joining Ferrari this season.

“Having discussions with engineers to change things, there's a certain way they like to work and I say, 'hold on a second that doesn't actually make sense, this is what I've done for the last 18 years here'. And it's worked in a lot of them.

“Getting those things consistently, working with the team, and making sure you're working in a constructive way to make changes to the car very much has a real sweet spot, and we're trying to get it working at all the tracks, which everyone's having to struggle with.

“I'm hoping this weekend can be strong.”