Ferrari exited Friday at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone as the big surprise of the weekend. Lewis Hamilton secured pole for the Sprint and placed the Italian outfit in direct contention with Mercedes during a weekend that had looked set to be tough for the team.
The performance drew attention because Silverstone was seen as a circuit favorable to Mercedes, particularly due to the high-speed corners and sensitivity to the power unit. But Ferrari showed strength from the free practice sessions and made up for its straight-line deficit with solid performance in low-speed corners, an area where it opened a clear gap over Red Bull, Mercedes, and McLaren.
“We didn’t expect to arrive at Silverstone and be in the running for the front row; we really didn’t expect it, so this is an incredible surprise. I’m thrilled,” Hamilton said after the Sprint Qualifying. The Briton will start from the front in the Sprint and will try to convert Ferrari’s pace into a victory in front of the home crowd.
Mercedes remains a threat, especially with Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Italian was only 0.011 seconds behind Hamilton and, according to the analysis of the best mini-sectors, would have claimed the Sprint pole if he had combined his best lap segments. George Russell, meanwhile, admitted there was difficulty in extracting pace and said he needs to understand why he was so far from Hamilton and Antonelli.
Charles Leclerc also expressed surprise at Ferrari’s level of competitiveness, even though he could not replicate his teammate’s performance. “It’s a good step forward. I think, as a team, we’re very, very surprised to be this competitive at a track like this,” he said.
The Red Bull camp appeared solid with Max Verstappen at the helm, although the Dutchman still sees areas to improve in cornering and energy management. McLaren, meanwhile, had a more troubled Friday, with Lando Norris coping with damage to the front brake duct. The Briton believes he can contend with Red Bull, but acknowledges that Ferrari and Mercedes are on a more challenging level to catch.
