Sky F1’s Martin Brundle delivered a scathing assessment of Lewis Hamilton’s race debut with Ferrari, calling the seven-time world champion’s performance in Melbourne “disappointing by any metric”.
After a glittering career with Mercedes, Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is expected to herald a new chapter of glory. Yet, the first race weekend of the season in Melbourne was far from a fairy tale.
Hamilton managed to qualify only eighth, trailing his new teammate Charles Leclerc, who started seventh.
While a sudden downpour briefly elevated Hamilton to the lead, the euphoria was fleeting. His pace faltered, and he found himself stuck behind Alex Albon’s Williams, unable to make progress.
The final blow came on the last lap, when Oscar Piastri executed a sensational outside pass at Albert Park’s Turn 9, demoting Hamilton to tenth.
Unimpressed, Brundle painted a vivid picture of Hamilton’s woes.
“Despite lots of happy words, and reasons why he had to learn his steering wheel and other new aspects, Lewis Hamilton had a disappointing start to his Ferrari career by any metric,” said the former F1 driver.
“Eighth on the grid behind his teammate Leclerc, losing out a little in the first corner and following Alex Albon’s Williams for what seemed like an age, and then being passed around the outside of the fast turn nine by a spectacularly recovering Piastri on the final lap—consigning Lewis to one point in 10th place—was not where he should be.”
Radio Static and Ferrari’s Gamble
Hamilton’s afternoon was marred not only by a lackluster performance but also by a heated radio with his Ferrari race engineer, Ricciardo Adami.
As the team struggled to cope with rapidly changing track conditions, Hamilton’s frustration became evident, hinting at a driver far from comfortable in his new home.
Brundle weighed in on the tense interaction, expressing his confusion over Hamilton’s attitude.
“I don’t understand why Lewis was so angsty with his engineer Riccardo Adami, who I felt was simply trying to pass over relevant and helpful information.”
It was an eyebrow-raising moment – Hamilton, usually the picture of composure, snapping at his crew as the race unraveled. Was it frustration? Adjustment pains? Whatever it was, it didn’t sit right with Brundle.
Ferrari’s strategy didn’t help matters. As rain drenched the circuit, the team rolled the dice, switching both drivers to dry tyres on a still-wet track. It was a bold call—and a costly one.
“It all really fell apart for Ferrari when they rolled the dice on dry tyres on a wet track and lost out heavily on track position for both drivers, and they left Australia seventh in the championship,” Brundle concluded.
The gamble backfired spectacularly, leaving Hamilton and Leclerc scrambling to recover lost ground. For a team with title aspirations, seventh in the standings after Round 1 was a bitter pill to swallow.
A Rough Road Ahead for Hamilton and Ferrari
While one race doesn’t define a season, Hamilton’s rocky start with Ferrari has certainly fueled speculation about whether the Briton can adapt to life at Maranello.
The pressure is already mounting, both on the team and their star driver, to bounce back from a disappointing debut.
As Formula 1 gears up for the next round, the spotlight remains fixed on Hamilton’s ability to turn things around.
Ferrari fans can only hope that the Melbourne disaster was just a teething issue rather than a sign of deeper struggles to come.
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