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Nico Rosberg says it was clear where Lewis Hamilton was making the difference at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
Hamilton produced one of his best performances since his last world championship in 2020, missing out on pole by a matter of hundredths and then winning the race.
While there was an element of fortune in Hamilton’s success on Sunday as a virtual safety car played into his hands, one can take nothing away from his qualifying performance. It was the first time all year that championship leader Kimi Antonelli had been beaten by a different car.
Lewis Hamilton is now only missing a Grand Prix pole position for Ferrari 🏆 Predict when it will come?
Nico Rosberg says Lewis Hamilton was braking later than anyone else in Barcelona
For Rosberg, Hamilton’s recent brake change has been the key factor in his turnaround. It’s believed that he switched from Brembo discs to Carbone Industrie – the supplier he used at Mercedes – at the Japanese GP.
Rosberg said the impact was obvious in Hamilton’s qualifying lap, where he was braking ‘far’ later than anybody else, including pole-sitter George Russell.
Hamilton gave up some performance to the Mercedes at the start and end of the lap, where the Silver Arrows used their deployment advantage, but clawed it back on corner entry.
“You could see on the qualifying lap, compared to George Russell, Lewis by far the one braking latest yesterday,” Rosberg told Sky Sports News before the race.
What is the BIGGEST reason for Lewis Hamilton’s turnaround at Ferrari this year?
“It was incredible how late he was able to brake, and that’s where he was making his lap time.”
Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc switched to the same brake configuration for Barcelona after blaming his previous setup for his race-ending crash in Monaco.
However, Leclerc had another accident in Q3 at turn four, a corner where Hamilton had consistently been braking later.
Hamilton suggested that Leclerc was trying to replicate his approach before he lost control of the car.
Late-braking has long been regarded as one of the Briton’s signature strengths, but this was perhaps disguised by his fundamental lack of confidence in the 2025 Ferrari.
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