Ferrari have kicked off their 2025 campaign at the F1 Australian GP in a strong fashion, with both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton showing a lot of potential after the first day of practice.
While Leclerc clocked the third-fastest time of 1:17.461 in FP1, Hamilton, who is still getting to grips with the new machinery at Ferrari, finished the session in twelfth position. He did a total of 20 laps, while the Monégasque driver completed 21.
The second free practice session saw Leclerc complete 32 laps and set the benchmark time of 1:16.439 on the soft compound tyres. Meanwhile, the seven-time world champion covered 31 laps around the Albert Park Circuit and improved to fifth place with a lap time of 1:16.859.
Solid first day for Leclerc but not fully satisfied with the balance yet
After finishing in the top three in both practice sessions on Friday, Leclerc admitted that he felt comfortable in the car straight away. He commended the work they have done on the simulator since pre-season testing and the base set-up that Ferrari have started their race weekend with at the F1 Australian GP.
“Honestly, we did good preparation work because the feeling with the car was good.”
Although he acknowledged the step forward Ferrari have taken since testing in Bahrain, Leclerc revealed that he is not entirely satisfied with the balance yet and that more lap time can be extracted from the car.
Furthermore, stating that teams have yet to understand the limit of their new single-seaters, the 27-year-old remarked that they will be able to better determine the potential of the SF-25 on Saturday when they turn up the wick during qualifying.
“There’s obviously things that we need to improve as always and I’m not very happy with the balance yet.
“But we are in a much better place compared to Bahrain testing and there’s still some performance to find. But that’s the same for everybody in the paddock.
“I mean those cars are pretty new for everyone and so you’ve got to push it to understand where exactly the limit is.
“But it’s been a solid first day. Now we’ve got to wait and see how it goes tomorrow when we push a bit more.”
Leclerc refuses to discount Ferrari’s rivals as he targets pole position
When asked whether McLaren pose the biggest threat to Ferrari, Leclerc expressed caution about underestimating any of the top teams since they have yet to showcase their true pace before qualifying for the F1 Australian GP takes place tomorrow.
“I don’t know. For now, it’s too early to say. I don’t think we’ve seen the real pace of everybody yet and I think some teams might hide their game a bit more than others.
“But for sure McLaren is up there. Red Bull might be struggling a little bit more for now but you never know with them. I mean, especially with Max you can never really rule them out. So, I’m sure they will be in the fight and Mercedes looks strong as well. It’s going to be a good fight I’m sure.”
In terms of whether he is in contention for pole position, Leclerc, albeit cautiously optimistic, admitted that securing the first position on Sunday’s grid is indeed his target.
“I want to be cautious. Let’s wait and see but it’s right to say that after a day like this we are looking forward to tomorrow and we want to try and target pole position.”
Hamilton modifying his driving style for the SF-25
With two FP sessions under his belt as a Scuderia Ferrari driver, Hamilton noted how different the SF-25 behaves on track in comparison to his previous Mercedes F1 cars and added that he is modifying his driving style to extract more performance out of it at the Australian GP.
“Firstly, it’s a super exciting build-up to this week and it felt amazing to get out there and be in a Ferrari here.
“Honestly, the car felt so much different to what I’ve ever experienced coming to this track. So, it took a little bit of bedding in through FP1.
“FP2 is definitely a bit better but just building. We are slowly building and getting a little bit faster bit by bit.
“The car doesn’t feel bad or anything. It just requires a different way of driving. So, [I’m] adjusting my driving style bit by bit, but enjoying driving.”
Hamilton on his learning curve and embracing the challenge of adjusting to Ferrari
In terms of whether he was able to generate the lap times quickly, Hamilton admitted that his performance in FP1 was underwhelming. At the same time, he underscored the progress he has made in the second practice session with regard to both one-lap pace and long runs.
“I wouldn’t say it was quickly. Like, FP1 was a little bit messy.
“In FP2, it definitely started to look a little bit better. We got some solid longer runs in, which was important.”
Unable to match the pace of his Ferrari teammate Leclerc in the first two practice sessions at the F1 Australian GP, Hamilton acknowledged the learning curve he is on as he adjusts to driving for the Italian team following a long and incredibly successful stint with Mercedes.
Nonetheless, the Brit commented that he has embraced the challenge of understanding the new apparatus as soon as possible to improve his performance.
“Again, I’m still really getting used to all the set-up changes. So, it’s like I don’t have them on call like I used to have obviously at Mercedes ‘cause I’ve been there for so long. I knew exactly all the set-up changes. So, I’m still working through understanding what tools we can use.
“And, it’s interesting ‘cause you can see with Charles [Leclerc], he just knows because he has been here for such a long time. But, I’m still piecing the bits of the puzzle together.
“Everything is so completely different from what I’ve been used to for so long, but that’s the challenge, and I’m embracing it.”
Aiming for pole too early for Hamilton
Admitting that a Ferrari topping the time sheets in FP2 is undeniably an encouraging sign, Hamilton highlighted the competitive pace they have set during the long runs and also recognised how close the top teams are in terms of relative performance.
“Yeah, definitely. I think the long run was competitive with the others as well. McLaren looked pretty quick. So, it looks pretty close up top.
“But it has just generally been a fun day to be here, to be here in red as well. It’s been awesome.”
When asked whether he has his sights set on the pole position, the seven-time world champion responded that it is too early for him to set that target. Nevertheless, he asserted that he would put his best foot forward.
“For me, I think it’s a little bit early as I continue to just learn the car.
“You know, never say never. I will still give everything I’ve got tomorrow.
“Just not putting too much pressure. I am just gonna try and enjoy it. Got some pace to find; I know where I gotta find it. It’s just about going out and doing it. But, just building.”
Stating that Ferrari are focused on fine-tuning the balance and extracting some more lap time from his SF-25, Hamilton moreover remarked that he intends to build on their progress from Friday as he gears up to tackle his first qualifying session of the year at the F1 Australian GP tomorrow.
“There’s still balance work to do overnight, and we’re missing a bit of pace, but that’s expected.
“It’s about building step by step, maximising what we have, and continuing to push forward. Looking forward to working hard and seeing what improvements we can make tomorrow.”
