Lewis Hamilton secured a solid fourth place position in qualifying for the 2025 F1 Austrian GP.
Hamilton’s lap put him less than a tenth behind teammate Charles Leclerc in second, and gave him his season-best starting position. With both Ferrari drivers struggling during Friday’s practice sessions, overnight work and floor upgrades proved valuable for the British driver.
Speaking to the media, the seven-time World Champion expressed gratitude for his starting position, hailed the work from his team, and looked forward to challenging for a podium in Spielberg.
Overnight work sparks progress for Hamilton
Having been unhappy with car performance during Friday practice, late setup improvements sparked a resurged performance from Hamilton in Qualifying.
“[We] definitely made some progress overnight. I was much happier with the car and the direction we went,” Hamilton said.
He was also happy to close the gap on Leclerc, stating: “Etching closer to Charles, who’s really used to the car [and] hardly ever changes it, is really positive.
“I’m finally getting much closer to where Charles has the car, and ultimately I was as fast [today].”
While the progress is positive for Hamilton, he emphasised the importance of this progress happening in “incremental steps” rather than large bursts.
A higher result could have been achieved
Although the fourth-place position is Hamilton’s best of the season, the Briton feels more time was on the cards.
“I think also I had more time in the lap. I was nearly 3 tenths up going into Turn 6 and I had a massive snap going in. And then I came across the line 0.06 up, so that would have put me second.”
Had Hamilton avoided the mistake heading into Turn 6, his lap would have put him only two tenths behind Mclaren’s Lando Norris in pole.
Plenty of positivity about the session
Hamilton’s interviews have been awash with downcast comments lately, but his comments after qualifying in Austria are anything but.
“I think operationally the team did a really great job today. It’s the best qualifying process operationally that we’ve done.”
He added: “I just think how calm the guys were [was the difference]. The timing, when they got us into the pit lane, the gaps they were giving us, staying out of the traffic, avoiding penalties, [and] the turnarounds were just spot on.”
Work back at the factory pays off
Ferrari have struggled for consistent pace all season, and Hamilton hails the work of those back at the factory for their Qualifying success at the 2025 F1 Austrian GP.
“The guys have definitely been able to extract more from the floor this weekend. There’s degradation in floors [too], so a new floor is always a little bit better. And then on top of that, the step of improvement in performance, so I’m really thankful to the team back at the factory for the work they’ve put into it today.”
While Ferrari admit they may not be able to match this pace during the race, the improvements are an incredibly positive sign for the Tifosi ahead of the European leg of the calendar.
Looking ahead to the British GP
With Hamilton having 11 podiums in a row at Silverstone, it’s safe to say he would like to continue that streak in front of his home crowd.
“I hope we can take this performance through to Silverstone and be in the mix of the fight. That would be freaking awesome.”
Though he emphasised the difficulties managing the SF-25 track-by-track: “Every time I go to a track, it’s a new characteristic of the car at that track.”
Chasing his first podium since the 2024 Hungarian GP
Hamilton was asked about his podium duct, extending back to the Hungarian Grand Prix last year.
“It feels like that 900-odd days win thing. But hopefully it won’t take 900 days. The last few races I’ve said, yeah, I can’t wait to get that podium, so I’m not going to say it.”
While Hamilton is choosing to remain reserved about his hopes for tomorrow’s GP, a podium finish is a real possibility if he can extend today’s pace.
However, it will be difficult for Hamilton with the “impressive“ McLaren pace and the likes of Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri starting behind.
