Lewis Hamilton chases his first F1 podium of the season, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc faces setbacks after a costly Q1 error.
Hamilton spoke after securing fifth place in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Hamilton Targets Spanish Podium
The Ferrari driver believes he got everything possible out of his SF-25 and is aiming for more in tomorrow’s race.
“It was pretty good. Friday started off fun, but we had an issue with the floor, so I lost a lot of downforce in FP2 and the balance changed dramatically.”
“It was a bit confusing because we hadn’t changed anything, then suddenly we had this problem.”
“We fixed the issue for today and the car was much more driveable, much nicer to drive. We clearly made progress in qualifying to reach Q3 and place in the top five. I’m really happy about that.”
“I’m looking forward to the race. I did a long run yesterday. It’ll be tight for everyone. It’s incredible how close everyone is. Half a tenth can take you from sixth to eleventh.”
“The long run will be tough for everyone. Most drivers have softs and one medium. Charles and a few others have two mediums.”
“Which tyres are best? Which strategy is best? The key will be to get a good start. My goal is to try to get a podium. I haven’t had one in God knows how long.”
- Discover More>Hamilton: F1 Film to Drive Real Diversity for Youth
- Discover More>Hamilton Already Under Ferrari Pressure, Says Barrichello
Leclerc’s Q1 Tyre Gamble
Charles Leclerc did not complete a second run in Q3 and had to settle for seventh. He had one fewer set of soft tyres after making a mistake in Q1.
“It was complicated because we had one less set of soft tyres compared to the others. We had to go out again in Q1 because it wasn’t quick enough and that cost us a set of tyres. I had to do qualifying with three sets of softs, and I don’t think it could have been much better anyway.”
“For tomorrow we have a lot of mediums, which the others don’t have. I think we’re the only ones who did that in the top 10.”
So, is Leclerc hoping for a two-stop race tomorrow? “I hope so.”
- Discover More>Rosberg: Verstappen’s Car Control Is Pure Driving Art
- More>Rosberg: Hamilton Slowing Down, Age a Key Factor Now
- Following us on>Facebook et Twitter