Lewis Hamilton has finally ‘understood’ that he won’t receive the same luxury as Max Verstappen at Ferrari

Follow us on Google Discover

Lewis Hamilton was briefly dreaming of something special at the British Grand Prix last weekend. Ferrari showed contending speed during practice, but fell away when it mattered.

Hamilton topped FP1 – the first time he’s been quickest on a Friday all season – and carried that pace into qualifying, setting the pace in Q2. A first Ferrari pole was on the cards.

However, Hamilton tried to do the ‘impossible’ in the final sector, with a scruffy couple of corners costing him. He ended up down in fifth on the grid.

Polesitter Max Verstappen spun out during the race, while former teammate George Russell fell victim to a ‘catastrophic’ Mercedes strategy. The door was open for a podium, but Hamilton and Ferrari lost out to midfield gatecrasher Nico Hulkenberg.

Lewis Hamilton now knows that he has to adapt to Ferrari – not the other way around

Speaking on the radio after the chequered flag, Hamilton rued a missed opportunity and described the British Grand Prix as a ‘pretty bad day overall’. His podium streak on home soil, stretching back to 2013, came to an end.

But there were some positives for the 40-year-old to take. He was quicker than Charles Leclerc in qualifying for the third time in the last four races, and he also coped far better with the tricky Ferrari during the wet race – Leclerc finished 14th.

Sky Germany pundit Ralf Schumacher reckons Hamilton has now made a crucial realisation about Ferrari. The team won’t change their car to suit his driving style.

By contrast, Red Bull have long built their cars around Max Verstappen. Hamilton is even more successful than the Dutchman, but he doesn’t have number one status over Leclerc.

“It looks like he’s slowly finding his feet,” Schumacher said. “But he’s also understood that the car can’t adapt to him, he has to adapt to the car.”

Max Verstappen was impressed by one feature of the Ferrari car at the British Grand Prix

Naomi Schiff says Ferrari are still lacking pure pace, even though a floor upgrade in Austria appears to have helped them. They were eighth and 10th in Melbourne the last time they raced in the wet.

Indeed, it seems the fundamental nervousness of the SF-25 prevents the two drivers from showing their talents in wet conditions. Hamilton has long been regarded as a supreme driver in the rain but he had a couple of off-track moments here.

There are more developments to come, though. Ferrari are about to introduce a new rear suspension, which could determine their prospects for the remainder of the season.

Max Verstappen was impressed by Ferrari’s cornering speeds at Silverstone, so the base has clearly improved. But the drivers need more if they’re to capitalise when the dominant McLaren team open the door.