Renowned Formula 1 racer, Lewis Hamilton, appears to have had a less than impressive debut with Ferrari, sparking concerns over his level of enthusiasm for the sport. This comes after his lackluster performance at the Australian Grand Prix last weekend.
René Arnoux, a former Ferrari driver, has voiced concerns about Hamilton’s performance. He believes that Hamilton, who previously raced for Mercedes, could not have felt satisfied after the challenging weekend. Hamilton’s performance saw him qualify eighth, only to drop back to 10th position during the rain-affected grand prix.
Hamilton did briefly lead the race, as he remained on the track when the rain returned, but he was among the last to pit for intermediate tyres, stopping on Lap 47. According to Pablo Hidalgo, PlanetF1.com’s resident data analyst, Hamilton could have placed fourth – a position eventually claimed by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, his successor at Mercedes – had he pitted at the optimal time.
Hamilton’s less than stellar performance was also marked by several awkward team radio exchanges with Riccardo Adami, his new race engineer who had previously worked with Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel.
The worrying start to the season for Ferrari comes after the team introduced several design changes to the new SF-25 car, including a return to a pullrod front suspension layout for the first time since 2015.
Arnoux, who has three of his seven F1 wins with Ferrari, noted on Italian station Rai Radio 1 that both Hamilton and his team-mate Charles Leclerc seemed to struggle more than their competitors in the wet conditions in Australia.
Ferrari’s new suspension design seems to have missed the mark, with both Hamilton and Leclerc finding the SF-25 challenging to handle. Arnoux explains, “It felt like there was more water for the two Ferraris than for everyone else: they couldn’t touch the throttle, they were getting sideways.”
In preparation for his Ferrari debut, Hamilton undertook a series of private tests with the team’s 2023 car in late January and early February. He also had the rare opportunity to drive a modified version of the 2024 car in a Pirelli tyre test.
However, Arnoux suggests that the limited testing available in the current era can make it difficult for drivers like Hamilton, who spent 11 years with Mercedes, to get up to speed quickly after changing teams. He even goes as far as to suggest that Hamilton appeared to lose “enthusiasm” as the race unfolded in Australia.
The seven-time World Champion himself has described the Australian GP as a “crash course” in driving the Ferrari, admitting, “We’ve learned a huge amount this weekend. There’s lots to take away from it. I have some changes I will make for next week and see how it goes, but today was a crash course in driving a Ferrari in the rain.”
The question now remains: Will this rocky start dampen Hamilton’s spirits or will it act as a catalyst to refine his strategy and bounce back stronger in the upcoming races? Only time will tell.
