Source: Official Team Post via X
Steiner Supports Hamilton's Theory on Ferrari's Recent Struggles
Guenther Steiner agrees with Lewis Hamilton's suspicion that Ferrari's rivals may be holding back their performance until the final stages of qualifying. This comes after Ferrari's unexpected drop in pace at the United States Grand Prix, where they fell short against Mercedes and Red Bull.
Ferrari was left scratching their heads after a puzzling performance drop at the United States Grand Prix. Despite looking strong in practice and the early qualifying rounds, their pace evaporated when it counted. Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, along with Charles Leclerc, seemed poised for pole at COTA. But come Q3, they found themselves outpaced by Mercedes and Red Bull, ending up P4 and P5 respectively, much to the frustration of fans and the drivers.
Hamilton's remarks post-qualifying were telling. Over the radio, he voiced his suspicion: "These guys must be turning up [their engines] for that last Q3 because where did that time go?" He elaborated with Sky Sports F1, noting the car felt competitive and unchanged from practice to qualifying. Yet somehow, the competition seemed to find extra pace, leaving Ferrari trailing by a few tenths, particularly on the straights, despite being competitive through the corners.
Guenther Steiner, the former Haas team principal, has chimed in, agreeing with Hamilton's theory that Ferrari's rivals could be holding back in practice, only to unleash their true potential during the critical moments of qualifying and the race. Steiner, speaking on the Chequered Flag podcast, suggested that Ferrari's practice performances might be setting overly high expectations. "I think all the last races, the Ferrari engine cars in the free practices seem to be always faster than they ended up to be in qualifying," he observed.
He mused that while he wouldn't call it "proper sandbagging," there seems to be a pattern of Ferrari's competitors keeping something in reserve. "In the race, Ferrari today, they were good. Charles finished second, which is a very good result," Steiner noted. "But it’s like always, expectation for Ferrari, it’s always higher based on their free practice results."
As the season progresses, Ferrari will need to address this discrepancy if they wish to consistently challenge Mercedes and Red Bull. Hamilton and Leclerc's strong performances in practice indicate the potential is there; it's just a question of unlocking it when it matters most.