Lewis Hamilton says that Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix was a “reality check” for Ferrari, one that served as a sobering reminder of the work still ahead for the Italian outfit.
Fresh from his maiden Ferrari win in Barcelona, optimism had surrounded Hamilton and the Scuderia. A strong qualifying performance only reinforced expectations that Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc could challenge at the front.
But once Sunday's race at the Red Bull Ring unfolded under scorching track temperatures, those hopes quickly faded as excessive tyre degradation left the team unable to match the pace of its closest rivals.
Reflecting on a disappointing afternoon that saw him finish fifth, Hamilton felt Ferrari simply lacked the speed to fight further up the order.
“I think that was pretty much it”, he said. “Yeah, for some reason, we just lacked pace. But this morning in the strategy meeting, they said it’s a two-stop, three-stop is four seconds slower. Last night and this morning, they gave us that information.”
Hamilton questioned Ferrari's strategy
Although Hamilton ultimately accepted that strategy alone was unlikely to have transformed Ferrari's result, he admitted he had argued for a different approach before the race.
The Briton believed the soaring asphalt temperatures would make tyre wear far more severe than Ferrari had anticipated and pushed for a three-stop race while also favouring the softer tyre at the start.
“This morning in the strategy meeting, they said it’s a two-stop, three-stop is four seconds slower. Last night and this morning, they gave us that information,” he explained.
“I was dead set; it was a three for me. I thought the deg was going to be super high. Particularly as the track temperature today was the highest we’ve had it in a long, long time. It was a mid-50s to mid-60s track temperature.”
He also revealed that he and the team differed over the opening tyre choice.
“So I thought the deg was going to be massive for us. I wanted to start on the soft, but the team were nervous. So we ended up, they pushed for us to start on the medium, which ultimately I think was sub-optimum,” he said.
“I think we probably would have been around the same pace.”
Even so, Hamilton believes there was at least a possibility that an alternative strategy might have opened the door to one extra position.
“Maybe, just maybe, I would have been able to pass out on the soft. Maybe I’d have got fourth. Because that was quite a short first stint on the table as well,” he speculated.
His comments suggested that while he disagreed with Ferrari's tactical call, the team's overall pace deficit remained the bigger issue.
A sobering reminder for Ferrari
Rather than dwelling solely on strategy, Hamilton viewed Austria as a valuable indicator of Ferrari's true position in the competitive order.
The victory in Barcelona had sparked excitement about what might be possible during the remainder of the season, but Hamilton admitted Spielberg painted a more realistic picture.
“I think it’s more of a reality check. We don’t know why we were so competitive on Sunday in Barcelona. So, I think that’s a very strong track for me,” he admitted.
“I chose a strategy that I thought, from experience, I knew that would work. With the deck that we had, it was like 2021, you know.
“But then today, I think we were hit more with reality, which is that we still do have a good car, but we are down compared to Mercedes, just in terms of pace.”
Asked to sum up the gap, Hamilton offered an uncomplicated verdict: “They just are quicker.”
Despite slipping further behind in the championship battle, Hamilton remains convinced Ferrari can still reduce the deficit if development continues throughout the remainder of the season.
“We still have to keep developing. It doesn’t mean we can’t close that gap,” he added.
“That one win doesn’t mean we’re going to be beating them all the time. I think it’s the opposite. We’ve got a lot of work to do.
“We still have to continue to add performance to the car, particularly in power, and that’s where we’re going to have to keep working at.”
With the Formula 1 calendar now heading to Silverstone, Hamilton returns to his home circuit knowing Ferrari's breakthrough victory has not changed the bigger picture.
Austria exposed the limitations that still separate the Scuderia from the benchmark teams, leaving Hamilton hopeful that continued development – not isolated race wins – will determine whether Ferrari can become a genuine title contender later in the season.
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