Lewis Hamilton reveals key area for Ferrari F1 improvement

Lewis Hamilton has identified a key area in which Ferrari must improve if it is to take the Formula 1 championship battle to Mercedes. 

Across the first half of the F1 season, Ferrari closed the gap to Mercedes and established itself as the Silver Arrow's chief championship rival. However, the gap at the top of the standings could have been reduced had the Scuderia maximised its potential across those rounds.

Speaking ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix in which Ferrari came under the spotlight for its delayed use of team orders, Hamilton said: "I think everyone's really buoyed up, everyone's really focused within the team. 

"There's a lot of belief in the team, which is really amazing to see, and we're continuously adding performance and pushing the car forward, so there's not really much more that I can ask from [the team].

"I don't think I can ask for any more from the team, except we've just got to into the second half of the season and try to execute better."

Ferrari's continued struggles in this area at Zandvoort resulted in Hamilton dropping to third in the standings, level on points with former Mercedes team-mate George Russell, but behind on countback of wins, with Kimi Antonelli ahead by 59 points. 

With Monza hosting the next race this weekend, Ferrari will hope to bank a strong result in front of its home fans. 

But this task will be made more difficult by the revival being enjoyed by McLaren, with Lando Norris having taken consecutive wins in Hungary and Zandvoort, closing the gap to the championship protagonists.

"We still have to continue to progress in our car, "added Hamilton. 

"We've definitely got lots of areas that we need to improve, but we've come a long, long way, and I'm really proud of the steps that we have taken coming into this season and through the season. 

"I think it's been a massive challenge for every team. Every team's made mistakes, naturally, with new regulations. We've just got to continue to chase."