The opening day of track action at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace Interlagos proved far from smooth for Lewis Hamilton. The Ferrari SF-26 challenger visibly struggled to find its usual competitive edge on the demanding Brazilian asphalt, falling short of the pace shown during recent Grand Prix weekends.
The seven-time world champion finished fourth in Free Practice 1 before slipping down to sixth in FP2, ending the day four and a half tenths away from the benchmark time set by Kimi Antonelli.
The bumpy track surface and low grip levels created a massive headache for the Maranello squad in keeping their tyres within the elusive optimal operating window. Hamilton made no secret of the aerodynamic and mechanical hurdles faced throughout Friday's running.
"It has been a demanding day," Hamilton said reflecting on his sessions. "The track is very bumpy and slippery, which made it difficult to bring the tyres into the right operating window. Overall, the first session went quite well, while the second one proved much more complicated."
Despite balancing issues and grip deficits, the British veteran remains focused on turning things around ahead of qualifying, noting that telemetry data gathered today will be crucial for overnight adjustments.
"We have gathered a lot of useful data, so tonight we will work together with the team to analyze it and figure out where we can improve ahead of tomorrow's qualifying," he added.
Aside from on-track difficulties, the Ferrari garage also addressed internal discussions following a closed-door meeting between Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and team principal Frederic Vasseur to clear the air after Mexico. While management dismissed the need for rigid internal rules, solving the SF-26's handling woes at Interlagos remains the team's top priority.
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