In a surprising twist, Lewis Hamilton, the renowned F1 champion, has been forced to reconsider his driving techniques following his initial stint behind the wheel of the Ferrari SF-25 for the 2025 F1 season. Hamilton, no stranger to the pressure of the tracks, has conceded that the Ferrari SF-25 demands a distinctive driving approach, unlike anything he has previously encountered.
Hamilton’s first outing in the Ferrari during the inaugural practice session at the Australian Grand Prix was less than stellar, with him finishing in a lackluster 12th position. However, he made a notable comeback during the second-hour practice session, moving up to the 5th slot, albeit remaining four-tenths behind his new Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, who held the leading position.
Hamilton embarked on his first-ever Ferrari campaign at Albert Park, a circuit where he previously tasted victory in 2008 and 2015. However, his start was underwhelming, trailing six-tenths behind Leclerc. Despite this, Hamilton remained positive, expressing his excitement and thrill at being part of the Ferrari team.
The F1 champion admitted that his first experience with the Ferrari SF-25 was a significant departure from his past experiences, warranting a period of adjustment. Hamilton described his experience saying, “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.”
As the second practice session came to an end, Hamilton began feeling more comfortable with the Ferrari, stating, “P2 was definitely a little better, just building, but yeah, we’re slowly building and getting a little bit faster bit by bit.”
When pressed to explain what made the Ferrari SF-25 so different, Hamilton refrained from quantifying the difference as positive or negative. Instead, he merely reiterated that it was indeed ‘a lot different.’ He went on to assert that he would need to adapt his driving style to get the most out of the Ferrari SF-25, which although not inherently negative, does require a distinct approach.
Meanwhile, Hamilton’s teammate, Charles Leclerc, expressed some dissatisfaction with the balance of his Ferrari SF-25 despite leading the practice session. However, he acknowledged the team’s progress since the Bahrain testing and appeared optimistic about the upcoming race day.
Leclerc shared his thoughts saying, “Honestly, we did a good preparation work, because the feeling with the car was good. I mean, 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.”
With the Ferrari SF-25 proving to be a challenging machine for both Hamilton and Leclerc, the true test will be on race day when the team pushes their limits against their rivals. The world awaits to see if Hamilton can make the necessary adjustments to his driving style and if Leclerc can find the balance he seeks.
