Hamilton Eyes First Ferrari Podium After P4 Qualifying F…read more
Lewis Hamilton is quietly confident as he eyes a potential breakthrough at Ferrari after securing a strong fourth-place finish in qualifying for the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. The seven-time world champion delivered one of his strongest Saturday performances of the season, coming within a tenth of his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, and now feels poised to fight for his long-awaited first podium since leaving Mercedes.
Lando Norris produced a sensational lap to take pole position, with a dominant margin of 0.521 seconds over Leclerc — the largest pole gap of the season so far. The McLaren driver continued to underline his title credentials with a flawless display, while the other McLaren of Oscar Piastri could only manage fifth, splitting the Ferraris.
Ferrari, however, had reasons to smile. The team brought its first major upgrade since the season opener in Bahrain, introducing a new floor on both cars. The results were immediate, as both drivers showed renewed competitiveness throughout the weekend. Leclerc secured a front-row start, and Hamilton locked in a second-row position after a tightly contested qualifying session that could have seen him higher up the order had he nailed his final flying lap.
“My last lap wasn’t perfect. I think if I’d finished it cleanly, I could’ve been second,” Hamilton admitted. “But it’s a fantastic result overall. The team has worked incredibly hard back at the factory to bring the new floor this weekend, and we’ve definitely taken a step forward.”
Although he’s yet to claim a full Grand Prix podium in 2025, Hamilton has shown glimpses of his enduring quality. He won the sprint race in China and took third in the Miami sprint, but a main-race top-three finish has remained elusive since switching to the Scuderia. Nevertheless, the progress shown in Austria has boosted morale.
“Every race I’ve been saying I can’t wait to get that first podium, so I’m not going to say that today,” Hamilton said with a smile. “I’m just going to stay quiet and try to do a better job tomorrow.”
Operationally, Ferrari also impressed. Hamilton praised the team’s efficiency and communication during qualifying — often an Achilles heel in past weekends. “It’s probably been our best day this season in terms of operations. The timing, the information, traffic management — all of it was world-class. That’s what we’ve been working toward.”
Meanwhile, Leclerc echoed Hamilton’s optimism but remained cautious about Ferrari’s chances of toppling Norris on race day. “The upgrades definitely helped us,” Leclerc stated. “How much, it’s hard to say exactly — the margins are so fine between teams apart from Lando. But it got us to the front row, and that’s a positive.”
Despite the sizable gap to Norris, Leclerc is pinning his hopes on race-day performance. Ferrari has often shown better long-run pace and tyre management, which could be crucial in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
“The gap is very big, but we know that we usually have a better car in the race than in qualifying. If tyre management comes into play, we might be able to apply pressure,” he added. “Whether that will be enough to beat McLaren, I’m not sure, but I’ll do everything I can to make Lando’s life as tough as possible.”
With both Ferraris starting in the top four, and Hamilton showing signs of gelling with the team after a tough start to life in red, the Austrian Grand Prix could be the stage where the Scuderia finally puts everything together. The upgrades appear to be working, confidence is building, and Hamilton — quietly determined — is edging closer to that long-awaited first Ferrari podium.
