Lando Norris
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Lewis Hamilton’s Barcelona Grand Prix victory last weekend came as a surprise given that Mercedes entered as strong favourites.
It seemed as if Ferrari had missed their golden opportunity to win at Monaco, where they were labelled the team to beat given the strength of their chassis. Kimi Antonelli’s dominant victory appeared ominous for the remainder of the championship.
However, Ferrari introduced a major upgrade in Barcelona that propelled them into contention, not only for the race win, but perhaps for the title too.
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Lewis Hamilton was nearly 0.25s quicker than Ferrari simulations
Despite Ferrari’s confidence in their upgrade, ‘simulations’ carried out by engineers at the FP3 suggested they would be two to three tenths down on Mercedes in qualifying, according to Motorsport IT.
But Hamilton, who took the unprecedented step of leaving the circuit after final practice to return to his motorhome, outpaced Antonelli and was just 0.064 seconds slower than George Russell.
It was the first time all year that Antonelli had been beaten by a different car.
While the high temperatures and the higher-than-expected track evolution played into Hamilton’s hands, this was still a vintage performance. Indeed, he hadn’t been on the front row since the 2024 British GP.
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As if to make it all the more impressive, Hamilton was grappling with a clear deployment deficit compared to Russell. The Race point out that he was slower down ‘every single straight’, and the borderline flat-out run through turn 12 at the end of the lap may have cost him pole.
The FIA have ranked Ferrari third at best in the ICE department behind Red Bull and Mercedes. They are between four and six percent off the pace.
Hamilton was tasked with making up time through the corners and did so remarkably well, even if Lando Norris says Ferrari have the best car on the grid in that regard.
Nico Rosberg was particularly impressed by Hamilton’s braking compared to Russell. Utilising more familiar Carbon Industrie brake discs, which he’s had on the car since Japan, he gained time on corner entry in signature fashion.
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