Lewis Hamilton is confident Ferrari can up their game in the second half of the season by focusing on reducing the car’s straight-line speed deficit to rivals Mercedes.
Hamilton is second in the drivers’ championship as Formula 1 enters its summer break, 50 points behind runaway leader Kimi Antonelli.
The seven-time champion has taken one victory this year, at June’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, while his teammate Charles Leclerc won at the British Grand Prix.
Ferrari has had a clear straight-line speed deficit to rivals Mercedes, who has won eight of the first 11 races, with Hamilton regularly suggesting he is losing between 0.3 and 0.4 seconds on the straights over the course of a lap.
Ferrari brought an engine upgrade to the Austrian Grand Prix and under the FIA’s Additional Development Upgrade Opportunity (ADUO) system, it can still bring a second upgrade before the end of the year.
Mercedes also has an unused ADUO upgrade to use, but Hamilton hinted that Ferrari’s next engine development could be the key to unlocking more regular victories.
“I mean, with the first half [of the season], it has been amazing given I think we’ve been probably like three or four tenths down on the straights in pace and power for the first half of the season,” Hamilton said. “I know the guys [at the factory] are pushing hard to bring upgrades for that.
“We’ve been bringing upgrades weekend in, weekend out. We’ve got a bit more to come in the second half, and we just keep on pushing.
“I think the second half will be stronger. Usually the second half is a stronger period for me. So, as I said, I’ll really take this time to re-set and try and come back stronger, fitter and better mentally prepared.”
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said the team would continue to bring small upgrades to the car throughout the remainder of the season, while acknowledging that the lead time on engine upgrades is much longer than aerodynamic parts.
“We know that we have to improve on the engine side, and we will do it, even if the inertia on the engine is much higher than on the chassis,” he said.
“The most important would be to be able to keep the pace into the development. McLaren did a huge step forward [in Hungary], but they don’t have exactly the same philosophy, because they are bringing a big package. I think the last one was in Miami, Canada.
“For sure, each time that they are bringing something, they are making a huge step. But we have a different approach, trying to bring parts every race.
“And we have to keep this momentum, because there are still 12 races to go. I don’t know if it’s exactly 11, 12 or 10, but it’s a lot. And we have room for improvement on the chassis everywhere, and we have to keep this pace.”
