Lewis Hamilton has admitted he is “pushing” Ferrari to solve the brake problem that hampered him and team-mate Charles Leclerc in Formula 1′s Austrian Grand Prix.
Hamilton capped an encouraging weekend in Spielberg with his equal-best Grand Prix result since his move to Ferrari as he finished one spot behind Leclerc in fourth.
Ferrari was unable to challenge the dominant McLaren duo ahead, but the team’s upgrades delivered a step that ensured Hamilton came under minimal threat behind.
But despite the Italian marque making progress at the Red Bull Ring, Hamilton divulged that he had to nurse the brakes on his SF-25 at a compromise to his lap times.
“We have brake issues, so I had to manage these brakes pretty early on, which was losing definitely some time.
“That’s something I’m really pushing to get fixed, because that’s not great.”
Hamilton indicated that the setback wasn’t exclusive to the scorching temperatures in Austria, but rather an issue that has been intermittent since the season started.
“We roll the dice and you put one [set of brakes] on and it works and you put another on and it doesn’t,” he added.
Ferrari’s compromises impacting both drivers
Hamilton was not alone, though, as Leclerc also heeded repeated talks throughout the 70-lap race to coast into the braking zones in order to preserve his own brakes.
Leclerc has explained how the set-up on his SF-25 being incompatible with Ferrair’s call to increase management exacerbated his attempts to execute the instruction.
“Today was very tough,” the Monegasque, who made it three podiums in four races, told Sky Sports F1. “I had to do a lot of management, especially on the first stint.
“It was not fitting my driving style, it was not fitting the balance that I had. I was really, really struggling on that first stint and some part of the second stint as well.
“But it is the way we have got to run at the moment.”
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