Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur is optimistic the team’s car showed more flashes of potential during Spanish Grand Prix practice than some of Lewis Hamilton’s “extreme” in-car radio messages suggested.
After finishing with both their cars in the top four during Friday’s opening practice in Barcelona, Ferrari slipped to half a second off the leading McLaren’s pace in the second session with Charles Leclerc fifth and Lewis Hamilton in 11th.
Hamilton, who had been third quickest in P1, later admitted his day had been “not fun” having earlier described his SF-25 over the radio in Practice Two as being “not driveable”.
Reflecting on Ferrari’s Friday – the first day on track for the whole field since the introduction of new rules clamping down on front-wing flexing – team principal Vasseur told Sky Sports F1: “I think we had a very good pace this morning, we struggled a bit more in the afternoon.
“We had a decent lap with Charles before the mistake at Turn Seven, it was an advance on P1. But the target is to put a lap together, not to do some good corners.
“Then we struggled a bit more at the beginning of each of the long stints. I think it was true for us but true for a couple of other cars. The track was very dirty with a lot of marbles.
“Overall, it was a long day and we collected also good information. It was the first time we were running the new front wing, and we’ll have a lot of work tonight.”
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Highlights from Friday’s practice sessions at the Spanish Grand Prix
On Hamilton specifically, Vasseur was asked how the seven-time champion was after the relative raceday high of a fine recovery drive from 12th to fourth at Imola a fortnight ago had been followed last week by an initially-promising Monaco weekend ultimately undone by a grid penalty and then a frustrating race.
Vasseur replied: “The comments were a bit extreme on the radio today but he did also a strong last stint with the soft [tyre], in the lap time of the first two.
“It means that perhaps the car was not as horrible as he said on the radio.
“But again, for me, the comments that they are making in the car are not a drama, as long as they are back and we have a constructive debriefing.”
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Bernie Collins and Anthony Davidson explain the flexi-wing rule changes that have been brought in for the Spanish Grand Prix
Vasseur, though, did acknowledge that Ferrari’s handling needed improvement.
Put to him by Sky Sports F1’s Nico Rosberg, who had watched the second session from trackside, that the SF-25 had looked the most difficult car to drive, Vasseur said: “It’s not a secret that we are struggling a little bit with the balance of the car.
“We have to improve on this, but as long as we are able to correct it and to have a good race, then fine. But it was the case the last couple of weekends.
“We have to improve on one lap, but I think it’s more tyre management and to put the tyres in the right window at the beginning of the lap, than something else. The balance is not perfect, it’s true. But it’s true for us, I also think it’s true for the others.”
Hamilton hopeful fixing ‘problem’ will help pace | Leclerc: More positive than expected
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Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton labelled Friday practice ‘as not a good day’ in Barcelona but is hopeful the team can improve with resolution of downforce ‘problem’
Speaking after finishing 11th fastest, Hamilton said of his day: “Not fun.
“It’s a beautiful place, the weather has been amazing but, no, not a good day.”
Asked how he was using his experience of past difficulties to work through the issues and motivating the team, Hamilton said: “I wouldn’t say that I’m motivating the team at the moment. You just keep your head down, you keep working away. You just don’t give up.
“You keep going, you keep pushing, you keep trying to focus on solving the issues, which we’ll try to do.
“You arrive on a Friday and you’re hoping for a good day and then it doesn’t go well. But then you have a weekend in Monaco where, all of a sudden, the car feels great. Honestly, I thought the car was going to be good today.
“It wasn’t too bad in P1 but P2 was quite a lot worse. Naturally that’s frustrating for everyone but we had some problem which meant we were losing some downforce so hopefully with that fixed for tomorrow we will be in a better place.”
Like Vasseur, though, team-mate Charles Leclerc struck a more optimistic note about the SF-25’s potential around the high-speed Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
“It’s very, very warm so that makes it a bit trickier on track and the grip is not as good as what we want, but it’s not been too bad,” said Leclerc.
“Honestly, it’s been a bit more positive than what we expected coming here, so that’s good. There’s more performance in the car which I hope we’ll unlock coming into qualy.
“There’s still quite a bit of work to be done, but I don’t think we’re too far out [with the car].”
Pacesetter Piastri’s warning with Verstappen ‘bit happier’ in Red Bull
After weeks of speculation as to whether F1’s new front-wing load-test rules in place from this weekend would shake up the grid’s pecking order, Friday’s running ended with 2025’s championship-leading driver setting the pace for 2025’s runaway championship-leading team.
Furthermore, P2 pacesetter Oscar Piastri’s single-lap advantage on the soft-tyre runs was a relatively comfortable three tenths of a second over second-placed George Russell in the Mercedes.
That led Russell to sarcastically quip about the rule change’s effect: “It clearly slowed McLaren down a lot, so good news.”
McLaren, in fairness, have always insisted the clarification would not have a major impact on their car’s performance.
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McLaren’s Lando Norris was pleased with how Friday’s practice went in Spain but he acknowledges small improvements need to be made
Yet, despite their apparent Friday advantage, Piastri sees plenty of threats from elsewhere this weekend on a circuit that was always also expected to suit Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in particular.
“It’s been a bit of an up and down day,” said Piastri, who had been half a second behind initial pacesetter Norris in opening practice. “Ending on an up, which is good, but our competitors look quick.
“Verstappen has been quick all day, Ferrari have been there, Mercedes popped up at the end, so I think it’s going to be a tight battle.
“Definitely some things to still try and work on.”
Piastri, who leads team-mate Norris by three points in the Drivers’ Championship, added: “We definitely expected Red Bull to be quick, so that’s not a big surprise. Just trying to make the car a bit faster really, that’s all. We have tried a few things today, some have been good, some have been not so good, so we’re learning.”
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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen admits the team are not quite where they want to be after Friday’s practice but he remains optimistic
Verstappen finished third fastest after clocking exactly the same time as Norris.
Although the reigning four-time champion was, as ever, not completely happy with his car after day one, he was noticeably upbeat about Red Bull’s start to the weekend.
“It was an okay Friday,” said Verstappen, who has won on F1’s last three visits to Spain.
“We have had worse Fridays. I felt a bit happier with the car. We are still not where we want to be, but it was definitely a bit more positive.
“Of course, every track is a bit different, but I still want a better feeling from the car. But I’ve also had Fridays where we were completely out of it, so it’s a bit more in the middle.”
Sky Sports F1’s Spanish GP schedule
Saturday May 24
9.40am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: Monaco GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.10pm: Monaco GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: MONACO GP QUALIFYING
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday May 25
6.55am: F3 Feature Race
8.35am: F2 Feature Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Monaco GP build-up*
2pm: The MONACO GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Monaco GP reaction
5pm: Ted’s Notebook
5.30pm: The Indy 500
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
F1’s European triple header concludes with the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona this weekend, with live coverage on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.