1996 F1 World Champion Damon Hill considers Ferrari’s performance at the Belgian Grand Prix to be “encouragement” after introducing the latest upgrades.
Ferrari has introduced a new rear suspension upgrade for racing at Spa Franco Champ.
Charles Leclerc took the podium for the fifth time, hitting Max Verstappen in third place on Sunday.
It was a surprise as Leclerc clearly finished the delays of the major trio in the sprint race.
Speaking about the BBC’s Checkered Flag Podcast, Hill felt that the Ferrari upgrade had a “clear” effect.
“I think so. I think that’s encouraging,” Hill said. “They made some changes so they didn’t think Lewis made a difference, they did something on the rear suspension.
“Obviously the Ferrari has gotten a little better. That’s third qualifying and probably encouraged them in the past, but it’s a very difficult car. You can say.
“You’re going to spend money on Max. He did a great job with the Ferrari. He was able to use that car to go ahead of Max.”
Hamilton’s ultimate pace is unknown
It was a more difficult weekend for Lewis Hamilton, on the other side of the Ferrari Garage.
The seven-time world champion failed to advance beyond Q1 in either qualifying session.
However, when switching to intermediates in a timely manner, Hamilton was the seventh driving the order.
Williams’ Alex Albon surpassed the seventh Hamilton advance.
Still, it was a powerful recovery drive by Hamilton, starting from the pit lane.
“Lewis, I think if he gets into the ditch with that, he can do something with that car,” Hill added. “He was a shame, so he didn’t go through the third quarter. We never really saw his ultimate pace.
“But Charles was able to go ahead of Red Bull, which is Red Bull with an upgrade as Max Verstappen is driving at the spa.”