Hamilton Struggles on Ferrari Debut as Team Faces Reality Check

Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari debut ended in disappointment with a 10th-place finish at the Australian Grand Prix, as the team struggled to match the pace of McLaren, with Charles Leclerc also finishing outside the top six.

Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari debut didn't quite go as planned at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. Despite dominating the headlines in the buildup to the season opener, Hamilton finished a disappointing 10th at Albert Park.

Hamilton's lackluster performance can be partly attributed to his unfamiliarity with Ferrari's rain settings on a wet and windy day. Nevertheless, both Hamilton and Ferrari fans would have expected a stronger showing, especially considering the Briton's bid for a record eighth world championship.

While Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari debut was underwhelming, other drivers stole the spotlight at the Australian Grand Prix. Lando Norris of McLaren took the top spot, George Russell, Hamilton's former Mercedes teammate, secured a podium finish, and Kimi Antonelli, the Italian teenager who replaced Hamilton at Mercedes, impressed with a fourth-place finish on his debut.

Hamilton had made a bold fashion statement earlier in the week, arriving at the Albert Park paddock in a black suit without a shirt. However, there were no bold statements on race day, as he struggled to secure a single point, eventually finishing 10th. His teammate, Charles Leclerc, fared slightly better, finishing eighth. Hamilton's frustration with his car's performance was evident in his testy exchanges with Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami on the team radio. He expressed disappointment with the team's strategy and a call on the weather during the race, feeling that it had wrong-footed him.

Despite the challenges, Hamilton briefly found himself in the lead as his rivals pitted en masse late in the race. However, after his own late pit-stop, he ended up finishing behind an unexpected group of drivers, including Alex Albon of Williams (fifth), Lance Stroll of Aston Martin (sixth), and Nico Hulkenberg of Sauber (seventh). Reflecting on his disappointing finish, Hamilton said, “Overall, not what I was hoping for, but there was so much to get accustomed to, with all the switch settings and changes that (the team) were throwing at you.” He also expressed gratitude for simply completing the race, which saw six out of the 20 cars fail to finish.

Lewis Hamilton's struggles with his Ferrari debut continued as he reflected on the challenges he faced during the Australian Grand Prix. “Then just the balance of the car... It was really very, very tricky,” he said, highlighting the difficulties he encountered. Despite these issues, Hamilton remains optimistic about the car's potential, stating, “I think we can improve that in the next race, hopefully, and get the car in a sweeter spot. I think there's a lot more potential in the car than what we were able to extract today.”

You don't see drivers going around the outside of Lewis Hamilton very often! 😱

An impressive final lap overtake from @OscarPiastri 🙌#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/ExoIhXuonO

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2025

Ferrari's underwhelming performance in the Australian Grand Prix served as a reality check for the team. This followed a disappointing qualifying session on Saturday, where Charles Leclerc and Hamilton qualified seventh and eighth, respectively, well off the pace of the McLarens. With only a week to rectify their issues, Ferrari faces a challenging task before the Chinese Grand Prix.

Leclerc acknowledged the team's disappointing start to the season but emphasized the importance of staying motivated and focused on the upcoming challenges. “It’s only the first race of the season,” he said. “It’s not the first race we would have hoped for but looking forward we need to re-motivate ourselves for Shanghai and recover from what was a disappointing first weekend.”