Hamilton questions Ferrari's 'suboptimal' Austrian GP strategy

Speaking after the race, Hamilton admitted Ferrari simply lacked the pace to fight at the front and revealed he had been convinced from the beginning that a three-stop strategy was the right approach, expecting the exceptionally high track temperatures to produce severe tyre degradation. Although the team's pre-race simulations favoured a two-stop race, Ferrari ultimately committed to a three-stop strategy, but it made little difference to the final outcome.

Hamilton added that he was initially able to stay with George Russell before gradually dropping back, as rapid rear tyre degradation and a difficult car balance made the SF-26 increasingly hard to drive. Despite changing to a three-stop strategy, the final stint on the soft tyres failed to deliver the performance he had hoped for.

The Brit described the Austrian Grand Prix as a very demanding race, pointing to the scorching temperatures and a poor start that immediately put him on the back foot. Although he managed to overtake Charles Leclerc and initially stay in the fight with George Russell, he explained that the rear tyres quickly dropped away on every stint, leaving him unable to maintain the pace.

The seven-time world champion also admitted Ferrari struggled with both balance and straight-line speed throughout the weekend. After being around six tenths off on the straights on Friday, he said the team still lacked the grip needed to match its rivals in the race. Despite the disappointing result, Hamilton praised Ferrari's strategy and pit crew, stressing that the points scored were still valuable.

Looking ahead, Hamilton insisted Ferrari must push hard to introduce its next power upgrade as soon as possible. He explained that the biggest deficit was not outright power but energy deployment, with rivals, particularly Mercedes, able to keep deploying for much longer on the straights. According to Hamilton, understanding and improving that weakness will be crucial, although he admitted it is not a solution that will arrive anytime soon.