Ferrari left the Belgian Formula 1 GP with the feeling that they could have won. Charles Leclerc finished in second place and said he believed in victory until the final moments of the race at Spa-Francorchamps.
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The result also reinforced the recent progress of the Italian team, which once again exceeded expectations on a circuit where it did not expect to be so competitive. In addition, Lewis Hamilton scored important points with P4, even facing car damage and a five-second penalty.
Leclerc highlighted that the battle started positively right after the start. The Monegasque managed to overtake George Russell and Max Verstappen after Eau Rouge, taking advantage of a strong performance in the energy management system.
“I believed in the possibility of winning until the end. I had a good start, overtaking George and Max after Eau Rouge. The Virtual Safety Car put us in the fight for victory, and it was very enjoyable to lead the race and fight for that position until the final laps, even though there was a bit of luck on our side,” he said.
The Ferrari driver also expressed satisfaction with the pace shown throughout the race: “Overall, we had a good performance, something we did not expect on a track like Spa-Francorchamps. A big thank you to everyone on track and in Maranello for continuing to work so hard,” he added.
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Hamilton, who finished in fourth position, praised the work done by the team throughout the weekend. The seven-time world champion highlighted the strategy adopted and the mechanics’ performance, especially during pit stops.
“Considering the damage to the car, the five-second penalty, and everything that happened yesterday, I am grateful to leave here with some points. It was not the smoothest weekend on my part, but we will continue to evolve and work to have stronger weekends,” he said.
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur described the result as very positive and defended Hamilton: “Lewis’s penalty was definitely harsh because it was an incident on the first lap, but there is no point in arguing about it now. Kimi had the faster car and we were losing to him on the straights, but with a good start and the right strategy, we managed to fight,” he said.
Vasseur concluded by highlighting Ferrari’s consistency in recent rounds: “Both here and at Silverstone, we were better than expected, which says a lot about the great work of the team. Now we will focus on Budapest, a completely different track, where we want to end this period before the summer break on a positive note,” he concluded.
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