Lewis Hamilton gives Ferrari crucial Silverstone set-up edge before Sprint challenge
Can Lewis Hamilton win a 10th British GP on Sunday?
Ferrari has turned to Lewis Hamilton’s unrivalled Silverstone expertise for set-up guidance ahead of the British Grand Prix Sprint weekend.
This season, the British Grand Prix is again one of the season’s venues for a Sprint weekend, having hosted the inaugural Sprint in 2021.
Lewis Hamilton shares Silverstone set-up advice with Ferrari before Sprint
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That means the teams and drivers have just a solitary practice hour in which to nail the right set-up to carry into Sprint qualifying.
But while it is a pressurised situation for all the teams, Ferrari can draw on a nine-time British Grand Prix winner for advice.
Hamilton won his first British Grand Prix with McLaren in 2008, before adding eight more with Mercedes. His last victory on home soil was in 2024, with the seven-time world champion claiming the record for the most victories at a single circuit.
The 41-year-old revealed that Ferrari’s engineers have been picking his brain to get a head start on the weekend’s preparations.
“My engineers, they have been asking me like, ‘How did you do it? What did you do? How do you normally run the car?'” he said during Thursday’s driver press conference at the Silverstone circuit.
“And so, I hope that I’ve steered them in the right direction.
“But we only have one practice session, so it’s going to be definitely a challenge throughout.”
Although Hamilton could extend his record to 10 with a victory on Sunday, the Briton says he’s not thinking about winning as his main objective is to maximise his performance.
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“I’m really not thinking about the trophy,” he explained. “I mean, it’s not something I think any of the drivers actually think about.
“You think about just obviously executing the best you can through the weekend, trying to bring the right energy, absorbing the amazing energy that we have here from all the fans.
“I think Nigel [Mansell] said it best, that on your home turf you get that extra bit of speed coming from the energy from the fans. So, I’m hoping that propels us and helps us close the gaps for those guys that are ahead.”
Hamilton is third in the drivers’ championship with 125 points, 46 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
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