Helmut Marko unconvinced by Ferrari F1 pace after spotting Lewis Hamilton issue

Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko is unconvinced about Ferrari’s pace after seeing Lewis Hamilton struggle with “massive graining” in practice at the British Grand Prix.

Ferrari enjoyed a strong day at Silverstone, finishing second and third in FP2, behind McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Ferrari’s upgrade in Austria appears to have moved them forward in the pecking order.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown identified Ferrari as their main competition this weekend, describing their pace as “very strong”.

Charles Leclerc was 0.2s off Norris’ best lap time in second practice.

While Leclerc was happy with his pace over a race distance, he felt Ferrari still had work to do over one lap.

Marko is less sure about Ferrari’s race pace.

“What I saw, Hamilton had massive graining after quite a few laps, Mercedes also had graining,” Marko said as quoted by RN365.

“And our graining was reasonable, like McLaren’s. So that’s a good sign.”

Marko encouraged by Verstappen’s long run

Verstappen struggled for one-lap pace in FP2.

The Dutchman was fifth-fastest, nearly 0.5s off Norris’ top time.

However, Verstappen’s race simulation at the end of the session caught the eye.

Verstappen’s pace was on a par with Ferrari and McLaren.

“We made a big step from FP1 to FP2,” Marko explained.

“But still, we have to find the right balance and we have to get rid of massive understeer in two or three corners.

“The long run was more promising. So if we can find the problems or cure the problems, I think we would be competitive.”

The build-up to this weekend has been dominated by Verstappen’s future at Red Bull.

Verstappen has been heavily linked with a switch to Mercedes for 2026.

Sky Italia reported that Verstappen had agreed to make the move for next year.

However, this was quickly disputed.

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have made clear they expect to be at Mercedes next season.