Lewis Hamilton qualified eighth for his Ferrari debut at the Australian Grand Prix. It was a disappointing showing for the Scuderia, with Charles Leclerc joining him on the fourth row.
Hamilton had been the slower Ferrari driver throughout Friday and Saturday, though he had managed to chip away at Leclerc’s advantage. The advantage two-tenth gap is far from disastrous.
The 40-year-old struggled in qualifying throughout 2024, losing 19-5 in the Mercedes head-to-head with George Russell. Martin Brundle says Leclerc is the fastest driver in F1 over a single lap, so in that context the gap is manageable.
However, Hamilton will still be disheartened to see Ferrari slip below the Racing Bulls car of Yuki Tsunoda and the Williams of Alex Albon. They were clearly the biggest underachievers at Albert Park.
The seven-time world champion ended up the best part of a second off pole-sitter Lando Norris. The team will call for calm given that it’s so early in the season, but that’s a far larger gap than expected.
Lewis Hamilton left confused by poor Ferrari qualifying at Australian Grand Prix
Hamilton has a new race engineer for the first time since 2012 after his partnership with Peter Bonnington came to an end. Riccardo Adami, who previously worked with Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel, has taken on the role.
The two-time Australian Grand Prix winner sounded a little baffled on the radio in a message that wasn’t broadcast on the world feed amid the focus on the top three.
“I don’t know what happened there, mate,” Hamilton said.
Adami sought to reassure his driver that he’d done a ‘good job’ in his first qualifying. Hamilton had been six-tenths behind Leclerc, his main reference, at the start of the weekend.
“Tough one. Overall good job out there.”
There’s a 60% chance of rain in Sunday’s race, which could suit Ferrari if they’re struggling with their car in the dry. Driver skill tends to come to the fore in those conditions.
How Lewis Hamilton misled Martin Brundle over joining Ferrari
After Friday’s practice sessions, F1 paddock experts predicted Ferrari were the fastest in qualifying trim. That proved to be emphatically wide of the mark.
McLaren were dominant in the end as Norris and Oscar Piastri took a one-two. Nearest challenger Max Verstappen was nearly four-tenths off pole.
Hamilton’s debut will ultimately be judged on his showing in the race. He still has a chance to make it a joyous occasion.
Brundle says Hamilton didn’t tell the truth about Ferrari for years. He used to insist he was a ‘Mercedes man’, but his excitement after his move proves otherwise.
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