Lewis Hamilton will be targeting victory on his Ferrari debut at the Australian Grand Prix. He’ll try to control expectations, but it’s a realistic objective.
After 12 years with Mercedes, ending with perhaps the most difficult season of his career, Hamilton is adjusting to a new car and a new team. Even if Ferrari have the quickest package in Melbourne, Charles Leclerc will be incredibly tough to beat.
Leclerc is deeply embedded within Ferrari and scored three race wins last season. The two drivers debuted the SF-25 on Wednesday, but they’ll know a lot more about the car’s potential after three days of testing.
Hamilton only had to wait until the sixth round of the 2007 season – his rookie year – to take his first F1 victory for McLaren. He eventually came within a point of winning the championship.
| POS | DRIVER | TEAM | GAP |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren | – |
| 2 | Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | +4.343s |
| 3 | Alexander Wurz | Williams | +5.325s |
| 4 | Heikki Kovalainen | Renault | +6.729s |
| 5 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | +13.007s |
| 6 | Takuma Sato | Super Aguri | +16.698s |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | +21.936s |
| 8 | Ralf Schumacher | Toyota | +22.888s |
| 9 | Mark Webber | Red Bull | +22.960s |
| 10 | Nico Rosberg | Williams | +23.984s |
At Mercedes, he broke his duck just before the summer break, taking victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Red Bull were dominant that year but there were occasional opportunities for their competitors.
Hamilton is an unknown quantity in the 2025 title race. Carlos Sainz says Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Leclerc are the main contenders – reflecting the consensus – but the seven-time world champion can’t be discounted.
Lewis Hamilton develops newfound respect for Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso
Leclerc won during his first season at Ferrari, memorably standing on the top step at Monza straight after his maiden triumph in Belgium. It took Carlos Sainz 18 months, though he didn’t have a truly competitive car at first.
But Fernando Alonso achieved the ultimate feat by winning on debut at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. And Sebastian Vettel opened his Ferrari account at round two of the 2015 campaign in Malaysia.
According to The Race, Hamilton acknowledged that two of his great rivals had achieved ‘exceptional’ feats. Now he’s that joined Ferrari and seen the scale of the adaptation challenge, he has even more admiration.
Vettel had spent his entire career within the Red Bull stable before his 2015 switch. Alonso, meanwhile, was a product of Renault and had two stints with the French manufacturer either side of his season at McLaren.
Lewis Hamilton could have been racing against Ferrari predecessor Sebastian Vettel this season
Hamilton won’t face the same ‘pressure’ as Vettel and Alonso at Ferrari, one pundit says. That’s because he’s already the most successful driver in the sport’s history.
He wants to overtake Michael Schumacher for championships – they’re currently tied on seven – after surpassing his win tally. But even if he doesn’t manage it, it won’t necessarily damage his legacy.
Vettel won 14 races for Ferrari but, despite going fairly close in 2017 and 2018, never brought home the title. There were agonising near-misses for Alonso in 2010 and 2012.
Alonso continues to pursue a third championship at the age of 43, while Vettel saw a proposed 2025 comeback blocked by Helmut Marko, who didn’t want him to tarnish his image. He last raced for Aston Martin in 2022.
