Lewis Hamilton promises Ferrari 'deep dive' as key Spa concern pinpointed

Lewis Hamilton has stated Ferrari will carry out a “deep dive” to uncover why it was losing so much speed in the middle sector at Spa-Francorchamps.

Hamilton ended the second practice session at the Belgian Grand Prix in fourth place, well over seven-tenths down on session leader Kimi Antonelli.

Much of the lap time loss came in the middle sector - while Antonelli rounded it in 46.722 seconds, Hamilton was six-tenths down on the Mercedes driver in that region alone.

While one of Ferrari's biggest weaknesses so far this year has been its performance in a straight line, Hamilton insisted it wasn't a concern on Friday.

“We're pretty much there in the window,” Hamilton told media including RacingNews365. “I don't know if we're we're looking like we're down in the high speeds on the straights.

“It's just that middle sector is looking a little bit slower for us. so we need to just.

“Hopefully we'll make a step overnight. We've also done simulations and try and get the car to be a little bit more optimal.”

Hamilton's team-mate Charles Leclerc endured a more difficult day, and did not break into the top 10 at the end of second practice.

As it targets a step forward ahead of qualifying, Hamilton asserted Ferrari will seek to ensure it fixes its downforce concerns without compromising straight-line performance.

“It feels a little bit downforce-related. The balance is good in general,” he said.

“You would have more load on the car if you could, but then you need the speed on the straights. 

“So we will do a deep dive tonight to figure out how we can pick up that middle sector and not lose in the others.”