Australian GP: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton fail to impress as Ferrari lock out fourth row
The long-anticipated 2025 Formula 1 season has finally kicked off in Australia.
An early morning for European and African fans saw an entertaining qualifying session take place at Albert Park, Melbourne.
With most eyes on Ferrari ahead of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, expectations were high heading into qualifying.
In Free Practice 2, Charles Leclerc impressed, topping the time sheets and setting the pace for qualifying.
However, come qualifying, Ferrari were underwhelming, to say the least.
Ferrari’s struggles in qualifying
From Q1, it was clear that the Ferraris would struggle to challenge for pole, let alone the top positions.
Throughout qualifying, McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull looked comfortably faster than the Scuderia.
McLaren locked out the front row, with home favorite Oscar Piastri claiming P2 behind team-mate Lando Norris by eight-hundredths of a second.
Max Verstappen, George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda, and Alexander Albon took P3 to P6, respectively, with the Ferraris only managing P7 and P8.
Both Ferrari drivers handled the first two sectors well but massively lost out in the final sector - something the Italian team will need to address before the lights go out on Sunday.
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Hamilton’s adjustment period at Ferrari
While Leclerc looked more comfortable in the SF25, his team-mate Lewis Hamilton was still trying to get to grips with his new car.
In Q2, the seven-time world champion had a scare, spinning in the dying moments of the session.
Fortunately for Hamilton, his mistake compromised others who were on flying laps at the time, allowing him to maintain his position and go through to the top-ten shootout.
Having driven with Mercedes throughout his entire career and being part of the McLaren family since his youth, the Ferrari engine is quite new to the Brit.
Hamilton will need time to adjust to his new team - something team principal Fred Vasseur has emphasised himself.
Vasseur on Hamilton’s progress
The Frenchman stated that he did not expect Hamilton to be "at the limit" in his first outings.
“It’s not a matter of speed. The target is for him [Hamilton] to know everybody at the team, discover software, the process, the system,” said Vasseur between sessions.
“I think I’m really convinced that we have something very similar to Mercedes but at the end of the day, perhaps not with the same name or the same way we use it. It’s just a learning process.”
“You can’t draw a conclusion after a first session. I have absolutely no doubt that [Hamilton] will be able to perform and to perform soon.”
Before Saturday’s qualifying, Hamilton himself stated that he is “slowly building and getting faster, bit by bit.”
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The road ahead for Ferrari
While everyone is eager to see how the former Mercedes and McLaren star will fare at the Scuderia, time is of the essence.
Although Hamilton has set untouchable standards, one cannot expect him to get into a Ferrari for the first time - in a competitive setting - and immediately ace every aspect.
Good things take time, and if Ferrari and Hamilton are lucky, it won’t take too long before the seven-time world champion drives to his usual standards again.
UK fans, you don’t want to miss tomorrow’s 4am race - yikes, set those alarms - a Leclerc and Hamilton start in P7 and P8, respectively.
Can the Scuderia display impressive race trim to climb up the order and take a second Australian GP win in a row?
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