29/06/2025 19:10
Lewis Hamilton has described how he was "really struggling" with
balance issues throughout the Austrian Grand Prix. The Ferrari
driver finished fourth at the Red Bull Ring, where he started from,
to equal his best grand prix finishing position since joining the
Italian team over the winter. However, despite the strong result,
it was not as simple as it looked for the seven-time F1 drivers'
champion, who was fighting balance and brake issues for most of the
70-lap contest in Spielberg. The highlight of his afternoon came on
the opening lap of the race, when he fought his way back past
former Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who had got past him at
the start. Reflecting on that move, the 40-year-old labelled it
"pretty awesome" before difficulties slowly set into his SF-25,
causing his plight. "Great start, a great battle with George from
Turn 1, 3 all the way to Turn 6, managed to hold on to it on the
outside, which is pretty awesome," Hamilton told media, including
RacingNews365 . "And after that, the car didn't feel too bad. I was
able to hold on for a second, but then I was really struggling with
the balance, and we had brake issues." Hamilton finished nine
seconds adrift of Charles Leclerc in the Scuderia's other car. He
explained how the problems he was managing cost him time during the
race. The 105-time grand prix winner said he was "pushing" to get
the brake issues on his Ferrari fixed, having thus far failed to
completely mesh with his Brembo brakes after 12 years on Carbon
Industrie equivalents at Mercedes. "I'm having to manage these
brakes really early on, which is definitely losing some time," the
British driver said. "That's something I'm really pushing to get
fixed, because that's not great, and then just with balance. I was
really struggling with balance." Nonetheless, Hamilton's
fourth-place finish solidifies his sixth position in the F1
drivers' standings. After 11 rounds, he has 91 points, 28 more than
Kimi Antonelli in seventh.
