Lewis Hamilton has set his sights on taking his first podium result with Ferrari at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday.
The seven-time champion is due to commence the race from fifth on the grid, matching his highest starting position since joining the Italian squad this season.
Hamilton is yet to take a grand prix podium with Ferrari, but did finish the sprint races from China and Miami in first and third respectively.
His last career podium came in Las Vegas in November last year - a drought Hamilton is keen to end this weekend in Barcelona.
“I am looking forward to it,” Hamilton told Sky F1. “I did get a bit of a long run yesterday, so it's definitely going to be close between everybody.
“It's amazing how close everybody is in qualifying and how half a tenth can put you from sixth to 11th. That's pretty mad.
“The long run is going to be challenging tomorrow for everybody. Most people have softs and one medium, and Charles and a couple of other people have two mediums.
“Which tyres are the best? Which strategy is the best? We'll see. The key is going to be getting a good start.
“My goal is to try and get a podium. I haven't had a podium for God knows how long, so that's my target.”
Hamilton revealed he ran into a confusing problem with his floor during FP2, which left him outside the top 10 on the timing board.
However, Ferrari successfully addressed the issue which allowed Hamilton to out-qualify Leclerc for just the second time this year.
“Friday started off fun, we just had some problem with the floor in FP2 so I was losing a lot of downforce, the balance shifted massively,” Hamilton added.
“It was a bit confusing, because we didn't really change anything, and then all of a sudden you have this problem.
“We fixed it for today, and the car was much more drivable, much more enjoyable.
“We clearly have made an improvement going into qualifying to get to into the into q3 when it's so close, and be in the top five - I'm really happy with that.”
Also interesting:
WATCH: Hamilton slates new ‘waste of money’ rule as Piastri silences ‘cheeky’ Norris
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes and Nick Golding, as they dissect a scintillating qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix!
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..
Join the conversation!