Lewis Hamilton says his Ferrari race debut felt like a “crash course” in learning about his new car after finishing a chaotic Australian Grand Prix in 10th place.
Hamilton spent the first half of the race running eighth, stuck behind Williams driver Alex Albon, before a mid-race safety car period bunched up the field ahead of a heavy rain shower. When most teams opted to pit their drivers, Ferrari kept Hamilton out, informing him over the radio that it would be a short shower. He initially rose to third and then briefly led the race before conditions became too slippery, forcing Hamilton to pit.
The seven-time world champion was overtaken by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri on the final lap to ultimately finish with one point and end the race 22.473 seconds behind winner Lando Norris.
“(It was) definitely a big crash course,” Hamilton told reporters. “I’m just grateful I kept it out of the wall.”
Hamilton had not driven a Ferrari F1 car in the wet until the start of Sunday’s race, making him feel like he was “in the deep, deep end” given how differently the car performed. “I didn’t have any confidence today in it, unfortunately,” Hamilton said. “I’m going to make some changes next week to the car, to the setup.”
Lewis Hamilton before the start of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
After coming into the pits and realizing how far down the order he had fallen, Hamilton told his race engineer on the radio it was a “missed opportunity” for the team.
“At the end they said it was just a short shower, so I was like, ‘I’m going to hold it out,’ and the rest of the track was dry,” Hamilton said. “So, I was like, ‘I’m going to stick it out as long as I can and keep it on the track.’ They didn’t say more (rain) was coming. And all of a sudden, more came. So I think it was just lacking that bit of information at the end.”
Hamilton admitted he did not think Ferrari had “anywhere near the pace as the McLarens had,” after seeing Norris win and Piastri spend most of the race running second before a late spin in the rain.
“But I do think in the actual car, there is a lot more performance,” Hamilton said. “I just don’t think we unlocked it this week. I’ve learned a huge amount this weekend, there’s a lot to take away from it. I’ve got some changes I’ve got to make for next week, and I’ll see how it goes.
“Today was a crash course in driving a Ferrari in the rain.”
(Top photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images)
