Lewis Hamilton reveals cost of Ferrari car problem in Silverstone qualifying at F1 British GP

Lewis Hamilton has revealed he suffered a deployment issue in his Ferrari car during Formula 1 qualifying at the British Grand Prix. 

Seven-time world champion Hamilton hoped to challenge for a second pole position in two days at Silverstone after beating Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Friday’s sprint qualifying, but could only take third in qualifying for Sunday’s main race. 

Hamilton finished behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc and ended up three-tenths of a second adrift of Antonelli, who maintained Mercedes unbeaten streak in grand prix qualifying with his fifth pole of the 2026 season. 

After qualifying, Hamilton, who lapped slower than he did on Friday, said he was battling deployment issues in his car which he claimed cost him three tenths along the Hangar Straight. 

Asked if he felt there was more time to extract from his Ferrari, Hamilton replied: “No, not particularly. 

“My run two [in Q3] was pretty decent, but there was a problem with the deployment and I lost like three tenths down the back straight. But that got fixed towards the end.

“I struggled more in this qualifying session with the car. A lot more understeer, but I’m still happy.” 

Hamilton, a nine-time victor of the British Grand Prix, is seeking a record-extending 10th victory at Silverstone. 

But to have any realistic chance of defeating Mercedes on Sunday, Hamilton suggested the Ferrari drivers will need to work together.

"It's definitely great to have both of us here,” he said. “Whether or not we can fully keep up with Kimi, we will see but hopefully we can play with the strategy and work as a a team to try to topple them. We will do our best for sure.”

Has Leclerc recovered his qualifying ‘feeling’? 

Leclerc was happier with his qualifying, having secured a front-row start for the second consecutive race. 

“It’s been a few tough races where the feeling was not quite right, where I was struggling to put everything together,” Leclerc said. 

"On the Sundays we’ve had things that have stopped us scoring points, so to be back with a good feeling, there’s been so much work behind the scenes to get back that feeling inside the car.

"But today is probably the first time where I had it back, so that is a good thing, but at the same time, I know how much I’ve struggled to be consistent recently, so it’s only the beginning but it’s a good step in the right direction.

"At the moment, I’m obviously trying to look at a bit of everything, because I was losing quite a bit of time. I just didn’t have much pace recently, so you’ve got to look at every single thing you do, whether it’s driving style, or everything really.

"We’ve worked, I think, really well, and I’m happy with that P2. I wish I was on pole but Kimi did an incredible lap and he deserves it."