Hamilton Stays Positive Despite Ferrari's Qualifying Struggles

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc discuss Ferrari's qualifying performance at the Australian Grand Prix, with Hamilton staying positive despite being nearly nine-tenths of a second off pole position, while Leclerc expresses disappointment with the car's balance and pace.

Lewis Hamilton is looking forward to his first qualifying battle as a Ferrari driver, despite struggling for pace during practice sessions at the Australian Grand Prix. Hamilton qualified eighth, one place behind teammate Charles Leclerc, in scorching heat at Albert Park on Saturday. The Briton expressed satisfaction with the gap to Leclerc, given his limited experience with the Ferrari car.

Hamilton acknowledged that he has a lot to learn about the Ferrari car, particularly in wet conditions, which are forecast for Sunday's race. “Tomorrow's going to be a challenge, I've never driven this car in the rain,” Hamilton said. “I don't even know the rain settings so I've got to go and study that tonight. It will be a learning experience again.”

The Australian Grand Prix is Hamilton's first race with Ferrari, following his move from Mercedes. He will start eighth on the grid, with McLaren's Lando Norris on pole position, followed by teammate Oscar Piastri. Defending champion Max Verstappen qualified third, while Mercedes' George Russell took fourth place.

Lewis Hamilton is still smiling after qualifying P8 for Ferrari 😁 pic.twitter.com/vSZKzXOAqc

— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) March 15, 2025

Despite being nearly nine-tenths of a second behind Lando Norris's fastest lap, Lewis Hamilton appeared to be in good spirits after qualifying eighth for the Australian Grand Prix. “I had a really good time out there today. Everything's been a first this weekend,” Hamilton said, reflecting on his first qualifying session with Ferrari. He expressed satisfaction with being close to the frontrunners, saying, “To be that close in my first qualifying session, I'd definitely take it.”

Hamilton acknowledged that there is still work to be done to improve the car's performance, but he is already looking forward to the challenge. “We'll just get our heads down and start working, trying to find out why we're not on pace with the frontrunners,” he said. In contrast, Hamilton's teammate Charles Leclerc was less optimistic about his car's performance during the final qualifying session.

Leclerc struggled to find the right balance with his car and was unable to put together a strong lap. “The lap wasn't great, all in all, we just didn't have the pace today,” Leclerc said, assessing his performance. He identified the car's balance as a major issue, saying, “We mainly struggled with the balance of the car and putting it all together, so we have some work to do.”