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Lewis Hamilton faced a challenging first Qualifying session with Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix, struggling to feel comfortable with his new car. Despite a solid effort, he could only secure eighth place, finishing behind teammate Charles Leclerc, who managed seventh.
Ferrari had shown promise in FP2 with Leclerc topping the timesheets, but their pace diminished when it mattered most. Meanwhile, McLaren dominated the session, securing a front-row lockout with Lando Norris on pole and Oscar Piastri in second.
Hamilton Acknowledges the Learning Curve
Adapting to the Ferrari hasn’t been easy for the seven-time World Champion. Reflecting on his performance, Hamilton admitted:
“It doesn’t feel natural, it’s been challenging. Just the normal set-up changes you make, it’s difficult to say too much but there are all new tools that I’m still trying to get my head around and understand exactly where it impacts the car."
Despite the difficulties, he remained optimistic, believing he had extracted most of the car’s potential:
“I feel good that I got pretty much everything from the car in the end. I think there’s probably still a couple of tenths left."
Leclerc Disappointed After a Strong Friday
Leclerc, who had appeared competitive in practice, was left puzzled by Ferrari’s struggles in Qualifying. After securing seventh place, he admitted that small mistakes cost him valuable time:
“The first lap was pretty good. Second lap wasn’t as good – it felt messy. All in all, we just didn’t quite have the pace."
He noted that pushing harder led to errors, especially with the car’s instability at the rear:
“I was trying to find more but that pushed me to do a few mistakes. The rear was quite unstable, so we struggled quite a bit, which is a shame."
Despite an encouraging Friday session, the Monegasque driver conceded that their expectations had to be adjusted:
“Before coming here, we were definitely expecting to be on the back foot, but after the Friday, we thought that there was maybe a bit more pace in the car. At the end, it wasn’t the case."
McLaren Stuns the Field
While Ferrari grappled with issues, McLaren delivered a remarkable performance, with Lando Norris securing pole position ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri. This strong showing from McLaren underlined the competitive balance at the front of the grid, with teams like Racing Bulls and Williams also impressing by making it into the top 10.
Looking Ahead to Race Day
As the first race of the 2025 season approaches, Ferrari will be eager to extract more performance and fight for a stronger result. For Hamilton, the challenge remains to fully acclimate to his new car and team, ensuring he can compete at the sharp end of the grid as the season progresses.
