Hamilton spotted eyeing up Ferrari after Baku F1 qualifying
Amid rumours that he could swap seats with Charles Leclerc with uncertainty surrounding both of their futures, Hamilton was seen inspecting Carlos Sainz’s SF-23 following Friday qualifying in Baku.
The seven-time world champion took his time to have a good look around the car that ended Red Bull’s streak of pole positions in 2023 in Azerbaijan.
Hamilton's current Mercedes deal expires at the end of the year and he is yet to sign a contract extension, though the 38-year-old has reiterated he has no plans to leave the team that has powered him to six of his seven world titles.
En Bakú, Aston Martin y Mercedes han estado lejos del rendimiento de los Red Bull y Ferrari, x lo q Hamilton examina el Ferrari para tratar de entender q tiene el SF-75 q le falta a su Mercedes para ser igual de rápido! Mañana, cambio de chip para la 2da quali y carrera Sprint! pic.twitter.com/PWrnOSv03a
— Jean-Pierre Michelet (@JPMracer) April 28, 2023
After qualifying fifth for Sunday's grand prix, almost a full second down on Leclerc, Hamilton admitted he was surprised by Mercedes’ “huge deficit” to Red Bull and Ferrari on the straights.
Hamilton said Mercedes’ performance in qualifying highlighted exactly where the Silver Arrows need to make the biggest improvements following their disappointing start to the season.
“It's a good indicator,” he said. “We’re slower on the straights and slower in the middle sector, so we've got a lot of work to do to rectify that in the car.”
The qualifying speed trap figures showed that Red Bull’s Max Verstappen hit 339.1km/h, while Hamilton reached 335.5km/h.
