Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari are moving in the right direction to challenge for the Formula One (F1) title again, although he admitted his own mistakes prevented him from achieving a better result at the Belgian Grand Prix last Sunday.
The seven-time world champion said Ferrari’s improved performance over the past few races has given the team greater confidence, with the Italian outfit now capable of competing against Mercedes even on high-speed circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps.
Hamilton said Ferrari have also shown significant improvements in race strategy and overall operations throughout the weekend, giving them a realistic chance of fighting for victories.
“The team made very good strategic decisions. We have improved in many areas and I believe we had the pace to win.
“Despite everything that happened, I am still happy that we managed to bring home valuable points. The team continues to introduce improvements to the car every week and that is something very positive,” he said.
However, Hamilton accepted full responsibility for finishing only fourth after a qualifying crash affected his weekend before he later received a five-second penalty following a collision with George Russell during the race.
He said the disappointing result was not due to bad luck, but rather a consequence of his own mistakes during qualifying.
“I don’t consider myself unlucky. I made a mistake during qualifying and it affected the entire race.
“After the car was repaired, there were issues with the system that changed the balance of the car.
“I was losing time on every lap, started further back and then received a penalty. Everything began with my own mistake,” he said.
Hamilton added that Ferrari’s continuous improvements remain an encouraging sign as the team looks to close the gap with its rivals in the remainder of the F1 season.
