As much as the conclusion of the Q2 qualifying session, Ferrari gave the impression to be clearly on the right track towards a prestigious and notable end result: at the least one of many two SF-25 racing vehicles was nearly all the time positioned inside the digital entrance row of the grid for the beginning of the British Grand Prix on the Silverstone circuit. Nevertheless, through the decisive Q3 qualifying session, the 2 drivers representing the Italian staff have been sadly relegated to the third row of the beginning grid, with Lewis Hamilton occupying the fifth place and Charles Leclerc in sixth place total. This consequence was a serious disappointment and a big setback, particularly when contemplating the sturdy and promising situations that had been constructed up all through the free apply periods held earlier within the weekend. The highlight throughout Q3 was dominated by Max Verstappen, who as soon as once more delivered a fully masterful and commanding efficiency, confirming his standing as one of many main figures within the championship.
We had already anticipated and predicted on Friday, based mostly on the info and observations from the free apply periods, how the Scuderia Ferrari staff may probably profit from sure particular traits of this specific racing circuit, particularly with the introduction of the brand new ground package deal on the SF-25 chassis. In truth, if we fastidiously analyze and take into account the perfect lap occasions recorded by the person drivers, Lewis Hamilton would have secured the second-best excellent lap time, whereas Charles Leclerc would have been third quickest, thereby confirming the unrealized potential and untapped efficiency that was evident throughout their remaining timed makes an attempt. Particularly, each drivers dedicated a small however essential error within the final two corners of the circuit, experiencing oversteer whereas beneath traction, which negatively impacted their total lap occasions.
It was exactly in that part that Lewis Hamilton misplaced 0.195 seconds in comparison with his private greatest time within the third sector. This small however expensive slip undoubtedly disadvantaged him of an opportunity to safe a coveted front-row beginning place. Certainly, we had concluded the evaluation of the second free apply session yesterday with a transparent assertion that indicated the truth that “the important thing to aiming for a entrance row begin will probably be fixing these small however essential issues within the slower sections of the circuit.” Sadly, this example didn’t enhance for the Ferrari drivers, they usually weren’t capable of obtain the complete confidence and management required to optimize their efficiency.
Moreover, precisely as seen within the second free apply session, Lewis Hamilton was as soon as once more the driving force with the worst minimal velocity on all the grid within the slowest a part of the monitor. We’re particularly referring to show 4, the place automobile quantity 44 was unable to carry out successfully in any measurable method. The inadequate rotational skill of the automobile severely restricted this a part of the circuit, which in flip made all the lap considerably tougher to execute. It should be famous {that a} portion of those issues additionally stemmed from the efficiency and habits of the tires.
The activation and warming of the tire compounds was not optimum through the qualifying runs, and as a consequence, the grip ranges offered by the tires have been inadequate to ensure the required traction and adhesion to the monitor floor. Trying to push the automobile a number of occasions and preserve management was not a possible choice as a result of the SF-25 tended to grow to be unstable and simply lose rear-end grip. General, the ultimate qualifying end result shouldn’t be dismissed outright, though ranging from the third row is much from excellent on a racing circuit the place turbulent air created by main vehicles severely disrupts the aerodynamic efficiency and tempo of the next automobiles.
Analyzing the telemetry knowledge evaluating Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton reveals a number of extremely attention-grabbing insights, significantly on the subject of aerodynamic effectivity. Pink Bull Racing as soon as once more confirmed its absolute supremacy in high-speed corners, the place the rigidity and stiffness of the entrance axle performs a elementary function in producing driver confidence and precision by means of the quick bends. One of these efficiency is strongly harking back to the habits noticed within the first sector on the Suzuka Circuit, the place Max Verstappen was capable of construct a considerable portion of his benefit over rivals.
On the Silverstone Circuit, this specific power was additional amplified by a transparent and decisive aerodynamic setup alternative: the Pink Bull RB21 entered the monitor with the bottom downforce rear wing configuration of all the subject, but it was supported by a ground design able to producing ample aerodynamic downforce. This represents a steadiness and synergy that Pink Bull has mastered higher than another staff, which allowed them to seek out the right setup mixture exactly on the decisive second.
Analyzing the info associated to hurry hint, the hole in efficiency is instantly evident from the very first straight: Max Verstappen’s velocity line is noticeably larger in comparison with the velocity line recorded by Lewis Hamilton. On that preliminary acceleration straight, Max Verstappen features roughly two-tenths of a second over Lewis Hamilton, though this time benefit is then relinquished within the following corners. This sample repeats itself on the Copse nook and continues as much as the doorway of the Becketts complicated, the place Max Verstappen features an extra two-tenths of a second purely by way of most velocity.
The velocity differentials of +7 kilometers per hour simply earlier than the Copse nook and +5 kilometers per hour simply previous to the Becketts complicated, in comparison with the British driver, are vital and thought-provoking. This efficiency acquire will be attributed to the distinctive aerodynamic effectivity demonstrated by the Pink Bull RB21 chassis. In the meantime, the Ferrari SF-25 single-seater maintained a great stage of competitiveness all through all the weekend within the technical ‘snake’ part between flip 10 and switch 14. Nevertheless, the general efficiency acquire remained modest, amounting to solely 50 thousandths of a second, which was an inadequate margin to compensate for the huge benefit delivered by Max Verstappen within the second sector.
And Lewis Hamilton’s mistake sadly proved to be decisive and expensive. Within the remaining part of the circuit, referred to as the Membership complicated, the seven-time Components 1 World Champion arrived with a rear finish that was excessively pressured and tough to handle by way of traction. It was exactly on this part of the monitor that he misplaced a beneficial alternative. The Briton was unable to breed the excellent third sector time of twenty-two.289 seconds that he had set through the Q2 qualifying session, a time that will have allowed him to achieve at the least one beginning grid row place.
In abstract and conclusion, it’s proper to confess that Scuderia Ferrari’s qualifying session was basically wasted and thrown away. The traction issues encountered within the gradual sections of the circuit, which had already been highlighted through the free apply periods, remained unresolved and brought about driving errors that, though restricted by way of uncooked time misplaced, translated into a big drop down the beginning grid order. Certainly, the pole place was solely two-tenths of a second away. At this extremely aggressive stage of Components 1 racing, only a few hundredths of a second are ample to lose the cumulative work and energy of a whole race weekend.
And also you? What do you concentrate on Ferrari’s probabilities for Sunday’s race contemplating the beginning positions? Tell us with a remark on the finish of the article or on our social media channels: Fb Group / Fb Web page / Instagram / X (former Twitter)
Jul 6, 2025
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