Despite an underwhelming qualifying performance at the Australian Grand Prix, Ferrari has unveiled its newest pair of Formula 1 powerhouses: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The qualifying round served as the first meaningful comparison between the two new teammates, with Hamilton set to kick off his inaugural race for Ferrari in eighth place, trailing Leclerc by a mere 0.238 seconds.
The seven-time world champion expressed satisfaction with this minimal deficit, especially when compared to his numerous qualifying losses to George Russell at Mercedes last year. Hamilton regards his proximity to Leclerc, renowned as an exceptional qualifier, as a solid foundation, despite Leclerc’s evident head start this season in Melbourne.
Hamilton candidly acknowledged that acclimating to the new vehicle has been a slow journey towards confidence, describing the car as “so much different than I’ve ever experienced” at the Albert Park circuit. The high-speed areas have been a particular challenge for Hamilton, who has consistently lagged behind Leclerc throughout the weekend. However, he believes he’s gradually closing that gap.
The stark contrast in driving styles between Hamilton and Leclerc was evident from the first day of track running. Hamilton’s aggressive approach into braking zones, braking later and harder than Leclerc, and slowing the car down more was effective in rotating the car quickly. However, he consistently lost time mid-corner to Leclerc, although by a marginal difference.
Hamilton’s style deviated notably from his performance last year, where he would lose time to Russell at a single corner due to a large rear slide or overcommitting to a corner. Interestingly, Hamilton seemed to have adjusted his approach by Saturday, adopting a style closer to Leclerc’s through the Turns 1-2 Esses and the Turn 3 right-hander.
As for how long it would take to feel fully comfortable in the new car, Hamilton was uncertain. He admitted to having overestimated his progress before FP1, realizing then that he still had a distance to travel. He also confessed to relying heavily on his engineers, as he’s yet to familiarize himself with the car’s various tools.
Hamilton’s performance lacked in high-speed areas, particularly Turn 6, compromising the entire middle sector. By Q3, however, he had managed to reduce the deficit to a few hundredths of a second. Still, he couldn’t match Leclerc’s confidence levels at Turns 6 and 12.
Leclerc’s ability to maintain higher minimum speeds by overlapping the throttle and the brake is a testament to his skill. Hamilton, in contrast, delayed increasing his throttle input until the rotation was complete. This allowed him to reach full throttle faster but failed to compensate for time lost mid-corner.
By Q3, their styles had minute differences. Hamilton occasionally gained a slight edge by sacrificing entry speed for a better exit. However, Leclerc generally maintained an advantage, particularly in getting the car stopped and turned without overslowing throughout qualifying.
Despite Leclerc’s edge, Hamilton’s debut performance for Ferrari showed promising signs. He managed to avoid repeating last year’s trends and even outpaced Leclerc in certain areas. While this doesn’t guarantee success, it lays an optimistic groundwork for Hamilton’s journey with Ferrari. His ultimate test will be in chasing those elusive final hundredths to match the “great qualifier,” Leclerc.
