Lewis Hamilton’s fierce verdict on latest Ferrari upgrade - “We’re trying to extract more from it”

Lewis Hamilton has praised Ferrari's latest upgrade ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix but admitted that there’s still more performance to be unlocked. The seven-time world champion addressed the team’s latest developments and shared his early impressions after Friday's practice 2.

While Ferrari’s new floor and diffuser package appears to be working as intended, Hamilton suggested that the car is still not fully dialed in across different fuel loads and tire compounds. When asked about Ferrari's latest developments, including the revised floor, diffuser, and rear wing changes brought to Bahrain, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1:

"The upgrade is definitely working, and a big, big thank you to everyone back home for working so hard on bringing the upgrades. It's never an easy thing. It's a lot of work that goes on in the wind tunnel, and a lot of work that goes on in fabricating and putting together these floors."

He added:

"It is just good to see that we have taken steps forward. We are trying to now extract more from it. I hope that we can make the right steps overnight to tomorrow."

His response points to an ambiguity. Ferrari’s aero updates are delivering results in theory, but the car still lacks total harmony on track, particularly over a lap.

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What upgrades did Ferrari bring to Bahrain?

This duality in Lewis Hamilton's answer is especially relevant when considering the nature of the upgrade. He has had a slow start to his 2025 Formula 1 season with Ferrari, with no top-six finishes after three races.

Ferrari’s Bahrain GP update features a complete floor overhaul to improve flow conditioning and vortex management and aims to improve those performances. The changes included (via the FIA):

• Floor fences with redistributed profiles to condition airflow earlier and reduce downstream losses.
• Reshaped front floor and tunnel to expand low-pressure zones and increase rear stability.
• Extended floor edge wing to better seal the floor and manage vortices entering the diffuser.
• Redesigned diffuser geometry to allow smoother expansion and improve rear downforce.
• A minor tweak to the rear wing pillar winglet contributes to aerodynamic efficiency.

These upgrades are not specifically for Bahrain. Ferrari is working with a baseline aerodynamic concept they hope to refine across early-season rounds.

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"Same old Fridays": Lewis Hamilton reflects on Ferrari’s Bahrain GP practice form

Lewis Hamilton (44) during practice at Bahrain International Circuit. Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton saw the third fastest lap in Practice 1 with 1:33.800 but was the eighth fastest in Practice 2 despite an improved 1:31.576 on softer tires. Speaking further to the Sky Sports F1 team after FP2, the British driver gave a candid assessment of Ferrari’s Friday running and how he’s feeling behind the wheel:

"Same old Fridays. It was fun. Quite difficult in the morning as always with the temperature being so high. The grip was terrible on the hard tire for the first run. It's quite a big shock from hard to soft, which is much better. But we made some changes and car felt pretty decent in P2."

Despite the optimism, Hamilton was quick to point out that Ferrari still needs to find consistency over different track phases. He referred to qualifying trim versus long-run pace and the difference between the 'low, medium, and high' tires. The 40-year-old also mentioned that the team was focusing on improving the car’s drivability and finding stability across varying corner speeds.

The Prancing Horse has shown competitive flashes in both practice sessions, but as the Ferrari #44 noted, the key lies in fine-tuning the balance window and ensuring the car remains predictable across stint lengths. Time will tell if the upgrades help Lewis Hamilton rebound in the season and clinch his sixth win at the Bahrain International Circuit.