Ferrari couldn’t hit Lewis Hamilton’s ‘bare minimum’ target at Austrian Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton drove well at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, but fifth place was clearly a disappointing result.

Hamilton beat teammate Charles Leclerc by three places and nearly 20 seconds, having overtaken him three times. His spectacular defensive driving against Max Verstappen early on may well have stopped the Red Bull winning the race.

But Ferrari, despite their strong qualifying, were the fourth-fastest team on race day. The three-stopping Hamilton became detached from the victory fight and couldn’t catch McLaren’s Oscar Piastri for fourth despite having fresher tyres.

Lewis Hamilton demanded a podium at the Austrian Grand Prix

Before the race, it emerged from well-connected Italian journalist Leo Turrini that Hamilton was targeting a podium in Austria as the ‘bare minimum’ – a message he had communicated to his inner circle before the race.

Hamilton shifted into a championship mindset after winning the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix and closing the gap on Kimi Antonelli to 41 points. While he only lost five to Antonelli here, he shipped 15 to George Russell and dropped back to third in the standings.

Hamilton’s Ferrari used up its tyres at an alarming rate – a problem on both sides of the garage. They also struggled with overheating, which forced the British driver into a lower-power engine mode in the interests of reliability.

What went wrong for Ferrari at the Austrian Grand Prix?

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Mercedes’ Antonelli was also baffled by Ferrari’s deployment, with the straight-line shortcomings of the SF-26 perhaps exposed once again.

One could argue that a title bid is defined by a team’s worst races as much as their best. In that respect, this was a race that casts significant doubt on Ferrari’s credentials.

• READ MORE: Juan Pablo Montoya baffled by Ferrari decision that cost Lewis Hamilton at Austrian Grand Prix

Their performance in Barcelona was excellent, but Hamilton needs a well-rounded car to hunt down Mercedes. While Ferrari’s chassis has been praised by rivals, those same drivers are noting a clear weakness in engine performance.

Even the first ADUO-powered upgrade in Spielberg hasn’t changed the narrative, though this weekend’s race at Silverstone will offer a clearer picture.