LEWIS HAMILTON GIVES BRUTALLY HONEST ASSESSMENT OF HIS FERRARI AFTER DISAPPOINTING DEBUT FOR NEW TEAM AT THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
- Lewis Hamilton said his Ferrari debut was 'much worse' than he had anticipated
- The seven-time world champion took solace in 'keeping the car out of the wall'
- Only 14 of the 20 cars finished in the treacherous conditions at the Australian GP
Lewis Hamilton admitted that his Ferrari debut was 'much worse' than he had anticipated but took solace in keeping the car 'out of the wall.'
The seven-time world champion endured a disappointing first race with the Scuderia, finishing a lackluster 10th—two places behind teammate Charles Leclerc.
Meanwhile, Lando Norris clinched victory after fending off reigning champion Max Verstappen, with Mercedes' George Russell securing a solid third-place finish.
Despite being disappointed with his performance, Hamilton was happy to have finished the race given only 14 of the 20 cars finished in the treacherous conditions.
Speaking after the race, Hamilton said: 'It's very tricky [driving with a new team]. It went a lot worse than I thought it would go.
'The car was really, really hard to drive today. So I mean I'm just grateful that I kept it out of the wall because that's where it wanted to go most of the time.'
'But a lot to take from it and getting acclimatised to the wet conditions all the settings it requires a different way of driving and a set up on the steering wheel.
'I hung out as long as I could just the guidance on how much rain was coming was missing so I think we missed out.'
'We tried to [have those conversations with the pit wall]. But the information I got was that it was just a short shower.
'Real quick and at the time it was only in the last corner. That's all that's coming and then more came.'
Hamilton was hoping for a more promising start to his life at Ferrari but he did admit he was happy to have finished the race given the treacherous conditions.
The race was held up for 15 minutes after debutant Isack Hadjar lost control in the formation lap at turn two and rear-ended his Racing Bulls car into a wall.
With his rear wing bent out of shape and his race over before it began, the unharmed Frenchman was in tears as his car was hauled away by a crane.
Jack Doohan also crashed at turn six on the first lap to trigger the safety car as his father Mick, the motorcycling great, looked on in disbelief from the team garage.
The drama continued as Williams driver Carlos Sainz spun out of control at turn 14 during the safety car's deployment.
Meanwhile, Norris - who claimed his first win in Melbourne and the fifth of his career - said it had been a difficult race with Verstappen breathing down his neck.
'It was amazing. Tough race, especially with Max behind me,' he said. 'I was pushing, especially in the last two laps. It was a little bit stressful, not going to lie.
'This time we got it right and ended on top so I'm happy.'
Read more 2025-03-16T07:35:46Z