Lewis Hamilton pinpoints worrying Ferrari limitation despite F1 engine upgrade

Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari’s straight-line speed deficit to its Formula 1 rival Mercedes remains “considerable” despite introducing an upgraded engine at the Italian Grand Prix. 

Ferrari has lagged behind Mercedes in engine performance all season so far but the Italian team is hopeful that a second permitted upgrade via F1’s Additional Upgrade and Development Opportunities [ADUO] system would help plug the gap and increase its victory hopes at Monza. 

However, seven-time world champion Hamilton claimed Ferrari was losing up to six tenths of a second to the Mercedes of George Russell on the straights alone during Friday practice. 

“Straight-line speed, it’s considerable,” Hamilton, who ended the day fifth fastest and nearly half a second behind pacesetter Russell, replied when asked what Ferrari’s main limitation was on Friday.

“Just looking at the deltas just there, I was losing something like six tenths to George just in the straights, which is something we need to look into. And then just balance. It was really, really hard to pull a lap out of the car. 

“The car was not an easy one to drive in P2 for some reason. We made a couple of changes, but shouldn't have really been [that] bad. So we might revert, but we're going to look and see if we can get a better feeling.”

Asked if the issue is purely power related, or whether it could be solved by reducing downforce on the car, Hamilton said: “That's what we need to look into - if it's that, or if it's deployment. 

"The engine is an improvement, which I'm really grateful for the guys back at the factory for working on. But our deployment schedule is different to the others, our competitors. 

“It seems like they maybe have less drag for the straights, so it's something we need to definitely look at tonight.”

Hamilton stressed that Ferrari’s upgraded power unit is a step forward, despite his concerns. 

“The engine is really nice to drive within the low speed, there's only a couple low-speed here. But that's not been a problem, they've done a great job with that,” he added. 

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur echoed Hamilton’s early assessment. 

“You have to keep in mind that performance in the straight line, it's the drag, it's the weight of the car, it's everything,” he explained. 

“It's not just the engine and did a step for sure. We didn't bring PU2 for nothing, but I think we still have a decent gap [to Mercedes].” 

Hamilton, who is aiming to claim a famous first win at Monza as a Ferrari driver, said he will be aiming to benefit from a slipstream in qualifying. 

“The tow is everything here, so likely to be looking for the tow,” he concluded.