Hamilton: Deep End Experience in Rain-Soaked Ferrari F1 Debut at Australian GP
Lewis Hamilton faced significant challenges in his Ferrari debut at the Australian Grand Prix, finishing 10th after struggling with unfamiliar car controls and wet weather conditions.
Starting from eighth position behind teammate Charles Leclerc, Hamilton found himself battling with traffic throughout the race. Despite briefly leading during a rain shower, he ultimately fell back after a safety car-induced pit stop.
"Everything is new, from the first time I'm driving this car in the rain, the car was behaving a lot different to what I've experienced in the past," Hamilton explained. "The power unit, all the steering functions, all the things that are thrown to you, you're trying to juggle all these new things."
Red racecar speeds on racing circuit
Hamilton acknowledged communication challenges with his new race engineer Riccardo Adami but remained positive about their partnership. "Riccardo did a really good job. We're learning about each other, and bit by bit, we'll download and go through all the comments."
Looking ahead, Hamilton plans to make setup changes to improve his performance. "I don't think we unlocked it this week," he admitted, suggesting there's more potential in the car. Despite the challenging debut, Hamilton remains focused on adaptation and improvement with his new team.