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It was a rather uneventful outing for Ferrari as a team as Charles Leclerc could only come in eighth on the grid, while Hamilton’s 10th place compounded the Prancing Horse’s disappointment in the opening circuit of the year.
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain during the drivers parade ahead of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park, in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton’s debut in the famous red of Ferrari failed to impress as the British driver could only manage a 10th-place finish at the 2025 season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.
McLaren’s Lando Norris dominated the wet Austin track to pick up the top podium finish in the curtain-raiser ahead of four-time defending champion Max Verstappen on his Red Bull. Mercedes’ George Russell came in third to complete the top-three down under.
It was a rather uneventful outing for Ferrari as a team as Charles Leclerc could only come in eighth on the grid, while Hamilton’s 10th place compounded the Prancing Horse’s disappointment in the opening circuit of the year.
Hamilton revealed that it wasn’t the ideal start he was hoping for, but added it is a process of acclimatisation to the new unit and how things function in the garage of the Italian manufacturer.
“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,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton also had issues with the balance of the car, which he had also touched upon after the qualifications on Saturday.
“Then just the balance of the car. It was really very, very tricky,” he added.
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Hamilton, however, was hopeful that he could head into the next race in a more optimised manner to be able to get the maximum potential of the car.
“I think we can improve that in the next race, hopefully, and get the car in a sweeter spot,” the Birt asserted.
“I think there’s a lot more potential in the car than what we were able to extract today,” he added.
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Leclerc, too, wasn’t chuffed with his performance in Melbourne and vowed to improve on his showing at the season’s second race at the Chiese Grand Prix.
“It’s only the first race of the season,” the Monegasque 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,” the 27-year-old added.