From Q2 debacle to celebrated home podium: Lewis Hamilton benefited from the right strategy on Sunday in Imola and finished fourth
Yesterday at this time, the whole world was talking about Ferrari’s big debacle in Imola. Bitter disappointment reigned after the Scuderia’s double Q2 exit, and no one would have expected Lewis Hamilton to almost finish on the podium on Sunday. In the end, he was only 1.4 seconds away from his first real podium in red.
“I definitely didn’t expect to finish fourth today,” the seven-time world champion told Sky after the race. “I didn’t know where we would end up because we started so far back. But the car felt really great,” he praised.
Hamilton also praised Ferrari’s “fantastic strategy” and “great decisions” that propelled him to the front. It should be noted, however, that the two (virtual) safety car phases played right into Hamilton’s hands.
The Brit started on hard tires and, seeing the other drivers make early pit stops, wanted to pit early as well. However, his team decided against it, allowing Hamilton to switch to medium tires at the right moment and put on new tires again during the actual safety car phase.
“I was on the hard tires and just sat there waiting,” he said, describing his race. ‘I really had to be patient and take deep breaths. Little by little, the strategy paid off. And when I switched to the medium tires, the car really came to life—and then I made up a lot of ground at the end.’
Five more laps to go for the podium
Hamilton says that today was the first time since China that he felt really connected to the car. “I felt that real synergy, and I think the setup was great. I think we’ve made a small improvement in our race performance.”
“We just need to unlock the potential in qualifying,” he knows. “If we had qualified better, we could have fought for a podium, which we thought was impossible before.”
Albon chasing down Leclerc for fourth…
It nearly ends in tears as he slips back to sixth behind Hamilton! F1 ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/fHwNj0Ez2z
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 18, 2025
He almost made it onto the podium in the end after initially passing Alexander Albon (Williams) when he was pushed into the gravel by Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc, before also overtaking the Monegasque driver.
But the chase for Oscar Piastri, who had significantly older tires, was not to be. “I think I probably needed another five laps or so to get close enough to attack,” he said.
Emotional moments with the fans
But even so, he is very happy with today’s race. “I’ve always loved having to fight your way from the back to the front. That’s how I started as a kid,” he laughs. “It always gives you a better feeling than starting from pole position and crossing the finish line first. But definitely an absolutely mega race, so many positive things to take away from it.”
With his race on Sunday, he naturally thrilled the Ferrari fans in Imola and had a successful first home race. He definitely enjoyed the weekend in Imola because he was able to connect with the fans.
“It really reminded me of my childhood, sitting at home on the sofa, eating a ham sandwich and watching Michael Schumacher drive for Ferrari here. To experience that connection – it was a pretty incredible feeling to now be sitting in one of the two Ferraris myself,” he says. ‘For me, it’s just incredible.’
