Formula One is back, and we are finally ready to witness 7-time F1 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton’s stint with the Scuderia Ferrari HP team. The free practise sessions down under were a bit of a mixed bag, with both Leclerc and Hamilton trying to nail the setup on their respective cars, but what came as a surprise was the rather lackluster qualifying session the Scuderia boys had with them finishing P7 and P8, quite a bit off the pace from the leading McLaren pair.
Despite a valiant effort, the seven-time World Champion could only manage eighth place in Melbourne, a result that left him reflecting on the immense challenge of adapting to his new team. “It doesn’t feel natural, it’s been challenging,” he admitted after the session. “There are all new tools I’m still trying to get my head around.” Yet, Hamilton remained optimistic, believing he extracted nearly everything from the car—though he suspects there’s still a couple of tenths lurking somewhere.
Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, had a rollercoaster day. After topping FP2, the Monegasque driver faltered in Qualifying, finishing seventh—almost seven-tenths off Lando Norris’ pole position time. “The first lap was pretty good, but the second felt messy,” Leclerc lamented. “I was trying to find more, but that pushed me to make mistakes.” His frustration was palpable, especially after showing promising pace on Friday. “We thought there was more in the car,” he said. “At the end, it wasn’t the case.”
Small margins defined the session, highlighting the ultra-competitive nature of this year’s grid. Hamilton, who spun in Q2, found himself just 0.218 seconds behind Leclerc—a testament to how tight the field has become. Both drivers acknowledged the fierce competition, with Hamilton praising his team’s efforts to fine-tune the car throughout the weekend. “We’ve done a good job,” he said, though it’s clear there’s still work to be done.
With there being confirmation that Ferrari changed 99% of their car from last season, we should expect them to start a bit on the back foot but they are one upgrade away from pulling back some of that pace they seem to have lost. Lewis will be eager to push the limits of what the SF-25 can offer, and hopefully, we will see a better performance in the race tomorrow.
