Lewis Hamilton’s Tough Debut at Ferrari: A Missed Opportunity due to…read more
The 2025 Formula 1 season kicked off with the Australian Grand Prix, but for Lewis Hamilton, it was a debut to forget. The seven-time world champion, making his first appearance for Ferrari, faced an incredibly challenging race, which he later described as one of the toughest of his career. With McLaren dominating, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen lurking, and Mercedes in pursuit, Ferrari’s performance was not what Hamilton had hoped for, and his race was filled with setbacks and missed opportunities.
From the very start of the weekend, Hamilton struggled. During the first two free practice sessions, it was clear that adapting to a new team after so many years at Mercedes wasn’t going to be easy. The Ferrari SF-25, equipped with a different engine, presented a stark contrast to what Hamilton was used to, as did the team’s approach to setup and strategy. To make matters more complicated, Hamilton had to adjust to working with a new race engineer. After years of collaborating with Peter Bonnington, known as “Bono,” the British driver now found himself communicating with Riccardo Adami, Carlos Sainz’s engineer, a shift that would prove problematic during the race.
Hamilton started the race from eighth place, positioned on intermediate tires, as light rain began to fall. Early on, while Charles Leclerc made quick progress, passing both Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda on the first lap, Hamilton found himself stuck behind the two slower cars. The Ferrari SF-25 struggled to exit the final corner effectively, giving the Williams of Albon the advantage and preventing Hamilton from making a move.
The race became even more complicated as the rain intensified, and a dry racing line began to emerge. Many drivers, including Hamilton, returned to the pits to switch to hard tires, despite the forecasted rain. However, as predicted, a heavier downpour arrived just moments later. While other teams immediately reacted, Ferrari made the decision to keep Hamilton out on slick tires, which proved to be a disastrous call. The rain caused Hamilton to lose significant time, falling further behind the pack.
The race’s turning point came when the Safety Car was deployed to recover Liam Lawson’s stranded Red Bull. With the field bunched up, Hamilton saw an opportunity to pit again and switch back to intermediates, hoping to salvage his position. Unfortunately, this pit stop only served to drop him further down the order, and Hamilton emerged from the pit lane in 10th place.
The situation worsened as the race neared its conclusion. Hamilton, now on intermediates, was passed by Oscar Piastri on the final lap, ultimately finishing outside the points in 11th place. It was not the debut he had envisioned when joining Ferrari, and his frustration was evident in his post-race analysis.
“It was really difficult. One of the toughest races I could have expected,” Hamilton admitted. “Being in those conditions with this car, with a new power unit, with new engineers, and a steering wheel with completely different functions, it was terrible. I expected more. At one point we were fighting for the podium, but then with the rain, everything got worse.”
Hamilton reflected on how the rain had intensified, particularly in the final sector, making the track conditions unpredictable. However, he pointed out that he had not been informed about the severity of the rain in other parts of the track. “The rain intensified, especially in the last sector, but the rest of the track seemed dry. I knew some people had already pitted, but I didn’t know it had started raining so heavily in other parts of the track. No one told me. It was a bit of a missed opportunity,” he said.
Despite the disappointing result, Hamilton remained hopeful about Ferrari’s potential, acknowledging that the team had not yet found the right balance with the SF-25. “Today, we didn’t get the car into the right window, but I don’t think we’re that far behind. We’ll see in China,” he concluded.
While Hamilton’s debut was far from ideal, his experience and leadership will be crucial as Ferrari seeks to improve in the coming races. The Australian Grand Prix was a harsh reminder that adapting to a new team and car takes time, and Hamilton will be hoping for a much smoother race in the next round in China.
