Lewis Hamilton suffers LATE drama after Ferrari iss....read more

Lewis Hamilton suffers LATE drama after Ferrari iss….read more

Lewis Hamilton faced a challenging weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix, encountering a late complication with his Ferrari that cast doubt over his race prospects. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion initially showed promise during the first practice session (FP1) on Friday morning at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. However, that early momentum quickly faded as the weekend progressed, leaving Hamilton struggling to match the pace of his teammate, Charles Leclerc.

During the opening session, Hamilton appeared to be in good form, setting competitive lap times and keeping within reach of the front-runners. But when the second practice session (FP2) took place later on Friday afternoon, the British driver began to experience a significant performance drop. His lap times fell behind, and he was notably slower than Leclerc, who seemed to extract much more from the same machinery. This trend continued into Saturday’s final practice session (FP3), where Hamilton could only secure the ninth-fastest time, while Leclerc surged into the top three, reinforcing the stark performance gap between the two Ferrari drivers.

Hamilton’s difficulties were compounded by an unspecified issue with his car that occurred late in the weekend. Details about the exact nature of the problem have not yet been fully disclosed, but it is understood that the incident could affect his ability to perform optimally during qualifying and potentially the race itself. Ferrari engineers were seen working frantically in the garage to assess the situation, suggesting that the problem emerged unexpectedly and required urgent attention.

Leclerc, on the other hand, continued to deliver strong performances across all three practice sessions, positioning himself as one of the main contenders for a podium finish. The Monegasque driver’s pace has been consistent, and he appears increasingly comfortable with Ferrari’s setup at the Spanish circuit, a contrast to Hamilton’s ongoing battle to find stability and speed in his car.

Meanwhile, in a broader context, McLaren dominated the proceedings in Barcelona, surprising many with their pace and setup. Their strong showing disrupted expectations, as championship leader Max Verstappen also faced struggles and failed to dominate as he has in previous races. The Dutchman’s Red Bull team was unable to counter the rapid progress shown by McLaren throughout the weekend.

As the paddock gears up for qualifying and the race itself, questions loom over whether Hamilton can overcome these setbacks and challenge the frontrunners. With his current form and Ferrari’s late technical hiccup, it appears to be an uphill battle for the British driver in Spain.