Hamilton: Ferrari matches Mercedes on straights despite Antonelli’s grid penalty

Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari has eliminated the straight-line speed deficit against Mercedes following their latest engine upgrades, though he maintained that strategic factors could still favor the British team at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix.

Kimi Antonelli, who leads his teammates Hamilton and George Russell by 59 points in the championship, is set to start from the back of the grid due to a penalty for exceeding the allowed number of engine components. Despite this setback, Mercedes selected Monza for him to serve the sanction, hoping the circuit’s long straights would offer recovery opportunities.

“Ferrari definitely took a step forward with the new engine and now the speeds are the same,” said Antonelli. “We know how good their car is in the corner and for sure it’s going to be a tight fight for pole tomorrow.”

Hamilton, who was 0.337 seconds slower than Russell in qualifying simulations, highlighted differences in energy deployment schedules as a potential advantage. “Seems like they maybe have less drag for the straights,” he noted. With the option to choose between running before or after his teammate in qualifying, Hamilton emphasized the importance of slipstreaming, predicting a session where drivers will heavily rely on the tow from other cars.

McLaren faced a more difficult test, with Lando Norris describing the track as “much trickier” than recent venues. The team struggled with pace in both the straights, where they concede ground to Mercedes, and in high-speed corners, which is typically their strong suit.

Max Verstappen continued his winless streak, posting the ninth-fastest time, 0.818 seconds off the pace. Free practice data suggested Mercedes and Ferrari remain the leading contenders, with Antonelli just 0.038 seconds faster than Russell on hard tires, while Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were within 0.2 seconds on soft compounds.

In other news, Formula 1 announced it will host a three-day fan event in Milan from February 18-20 next season, featuring all teams, drivers, and entertainment in a successor to the previous year’s London event.