Hamilton says Ferrari "not too far off the pace" after Sepang opening day, but was investigated for impeding

Hamilton finished fifth in FP2, around 0.3 seconds behind teammate Charles Leclerc, and reported balance and grip issues while the team explored setup directions.

In this brief: 2 sections 1 min read

- Hamilton ended FP2 fifth, approximately 0.3s off Leclerc’s benchmark.
- He described the day as "challenging" with "very little grip" and said the team explored several setup directions.
- Hamilton said the team needs to find a better compromise for Saturday but felt they were not far off the pace.
- Hamilton was involved in an impeding incident with Gabriel Bortoleto mid‑session.
- That incident was later investigated by the FIA stewards (see separate finding).
- The team’s focus after FP2 was analysing data to adjust setup for qualifying.

Read full analysis on gpblog.com

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