30/07/2025 11:05
Lewis Hamilton has explained how he got the timing of his change to
slick tyres "spot on" in the Belgian Grand Prix, addressing a
career weakness. Hamilton started from the pit-lane at Spa, but was
one of the fastest cars on the track in the intermediate conditions
after the 80-minute delay due to the heavy rain. The Ferrari
driver, who had climbed to 13th place after scything through the
field, was the first driver to pit for slick tyres, on lap 12.
This undercut on the slick rubber enabled him to leapfrog up to
seventh place, just behind Alex Albon, and four seconds behind
team-mate Charles Leclerc, who was third after his stop.
Hamilton's progress then stalled out as he could not get past
Albon, but the 105-time race winner was buoyed by his decision to
call the timing of the change to slicks, having gone a lap too
early at Silverstone, which cost him a podium to Nico Hulkenberg's
Stake. "I think it was good, I'm really working to try and get it
right each time," Hamilton told media, including RacingNews365. "I
would say that it has been an area for me that hasn't always been
the strongest, and at Silverstone, I called it maybe one lap too
early. "But [Spa] was spot on. "I probably could have done it one
lap earlier, but it was pretty wet. "[The weekend] is one to put
behind me, and I definitely feel more confident going forward. I've
learned more about the car, fine-tuned it, so I'll set it up better
next week."
