The 2025 F1 season kicked off in Melbourne for the Australian GP, and for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, Australia was a baptism by fire. He finished in P10 following a gamble to stay on dry tyres by the Scuderia that backfired as the rain got worse.
In his first race weekend with Ferrari, after a long career with Mercedes, the seven-time world champion underwent a steep learning curve, with the new car and a lack of confidence leaving him feeling like he was “in the deep, deep end.”
A crash course in Ferrari for Hamilton
Hamilton’s debut with Ferrari was always going to be one of the most anticipated storylines of the season. After years of dominance with Mercedes, followed by some less inspiring years with the team, the move to the Scuderia was a major shift for the driver.
The Australian GP was a crash course in Ferrari for Hamilton and a lot for the driver to learn in 57 laps.
“I felt like I was in the deep, deep end today,” Hamilton admitted in the print media zone the race.
“Definitely a big crash course today and I’m just grateful I kept it out of the wall.
“Everything is new for me. The first time I was driving this car in the rain, the car was behaving a lot different to what I’ve experienced in the past.
“The power unit, all the steering functions, all the things they’re throwing to you during… you know, you’re trying to juggle all these new things.”
The wet conditions were another complication for him, with Hamilton struggling to find confidence in the SF-25.
“I didn’t have any confidence today, unfortunately,” he said. “I was nearly in the wall most of the time.”
Battling the elements at Melbourne
With multiple safety car interventions and changing weather conditions keeping Ferrari on their toes, Hamilton’s decision to stay out on track during a late downpour nearly paid off, as he briefly found himself in the lead in Australia.
“In that moment, I was like, oh my God, I’m third,” Hamilton recalled.
“I was leading for a second. I don’t know if we had anywhere near the pace that the McLarens had today. But I do think in the actual car there is a lot more performance. I just think we did not unlock it this weekend.”
Hamilton’s struggles were compounded by issues with rear stability, particularly under braking. “It was the braking, which is the rear stability, particularly on power,” he explained.
“Lots of snaps. I was nearly on the wall most of the time.”
However, the gamble ultimately backfired when the rain intensified, leaving him vulnerable on the hard compound.
“Unfortunately, at the end they said it was just a short shower, so I was like, I’m gonna hold it out, and the rest of the track was dry, so I was like, I’m gonna stick it out as long as I can, I can keep it on the track.”
“All of a sudden more (rain) came. So I think it was just lacking that bit of information at the end.”
Hamilton on adjustments needed with the SF-25
Despite its challenges, Hamilton viewed the F1 Australian GP as his first learning experience with Ferrari.
“Today was a crash course in driving a Ferrari in the rain,” he said. “I’ve learned a huge amount this weekend. There’s a lot to take away from it.”
One of the key takeaways was the need for adjustments to the car’s setup. “I’m gonna make some changes next week to the car, to the set-up,” Hamilton revealed.
“Many, many things. Set-up-wise, I’d set the car up just a lot different. Position the car different in different parts of the race. Different calls.”
Despite asking for less information during the race, Hamilton praised his new race engineer, Riccardo Adami, for his communication in a challenging debut weekend.
“I think Ricciardo did a really good job,” Hamilton said. “We’re learning about each other and… yeah, bit by bit, we just need to… after this we’ll download, we’ll go through all the comments, things I said, and vice versa.
“Generally I’m not one that likes a lot of information in the race, unless I need it, I’ll ask for it. He did his best today and we’ll move forward.”
Looking forward to the 2025 season
While the Australian GP may not have gone according to plan, Hamilton is trying to stay optimistic about the potential of the Ferrari.
“I do believe the car has more performance than we were able to extract this weekend,” he said.
“It was even less performance, for example, in the race. But I think it’s all settings.”
With just four days until the next race in Shanghai, Hamilton is determined to turn things around. “I’ve got some changes I’m going to make for next week and see how it goes,” he said.
Positives to bring forward from the Australian GP
Despite the struggles, there were positives to take away from the weekend. Hamilton made noticeable progress in dry conditions, building confidence as the weekend progressed.
“From the moment I got in the car on Friday, I didn’t have the confidence,” he said.
“Particularly at all the high speed, I was down a huge amount. When it got to Saturday, confidence was coming back. I was building, building, building.”
“Then we got to the race, and again, it started from scratch. I didn’t have any confidence. Pretty much most of the race.”
For Hamilton, Australia was a reminder that even the most experienced drivers face challenges when adapting to a new team and car, particularly at Ferrari F1.
But if there’s one thing Hamilton has proven time and time again, he can bounce back.
As he said himself, “I’m grateful I got through it. I came out with a little bit of stuff at least, one point… I didn’t go off or spin today, but lacking pace for sure.”
