Ferrari F1: Hamilton hints at a car difference with Leclerc... and aims for a big comeback at the next GP

At the end of the Japanese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton surprised by his optimism, despite a modest 7th place, well behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, who finished a solid 4th. The Briton, who is still discovering his Ferrari SF-25, highlighted a technical element which he believed to be the cause of the performance gap between the two sides of the garage. A statement that raises many questions in Maranello.

"Something's not right"

"In the first three races, there was a deficit between the two sides of the garage on an element of the car," Hamilton confided. Without specifically naming the part involved, he implied that an element of his single-seater wasn't working as intended. "With what I had, it was the best possible result," he added, before referring to an "underperformance at the rear" of the car and a lack of performance that would cost him "just over a tenth a lap".

Suspicions turn to the SF-25's floor and ride height, both of which have already been mentioned in previous articles. As the seven-time world champion himself admitted: "Yes, we drive higher than we'd like to. A decision taken to avoid another incident of excessive wear, like the one in Shanghai.

Vasseur responds with nuances

Ferrari boss Frédéric Vasseur was keen to calm things down. According to him, the differences in performance are not due to unequal equipment between the two drivers, but to the set-up choices. "The balance, and everything else, is linked to their choices," he said, adding, "We spend all weekend looking for that limit, seeing how far we can lower the car, but sometimes we're too low."

Vasseur also insists on the fact that the Scuderia Ferrari is still exploring the possibilities offered by the SF-25, adapting the settings to each driver. "We're still in the exploration phase of this new car, and we're trying different directions to adapt to the drivers."

Leclerc in the lead, Hamilton on the comeback trail

Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc continues his solid start to the season. Always in the lead, often ahead of his new team-mate, the Monegasque seems to have taken the ascendancy at Ferrari, both in terms of pace and confidence. Without commenting on Hamilton's comments, he continues to extract the full potential from his single-seater without making any waves.

For his part, Hamilton remains confident that the problem has now been identified. "When this new part arrives, I hope the problem goes away and it's the same for both cars," he said, while asserting that he's still learning to understand how the team works and how to get the most out of his car: "As I gain more comfort and knowledge of the car, I can start to make more decisions."

Hamilton aims for Bahrain

The next Grand Prix in Bahrain could mark a turning point for Hamilton. Ferrari has already accumulated a great deal of data with the pre-season tests, and the team hopes to see the first concrete effects of the planned adjustments and with the arrival of a new floor. "I really hope that at the next race we'll see some positive changes," said Hamilton.