Hamilton, a missed opportunity for his debut at Ferrari: "Nobody told me it rained more elsewhere"

First race and first point for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. To conclude this weekend of firsts, the Briton managed to hold on to the last point awarded for 10th place in Australia. A result well below the expectations placed on the seven-time world champion and the Italian team, which reflects a difficult weekend for the Team. After a disappointing qualifying session, with only a fourth row for the two men in red, Lewis Hamilton hoped to make up for lost time this Sunday and seize his chance with the rain. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned and the Englishman had to settle for 10th place in Melbourne.

"I'm grateful to have finished, at least I scored a point, Lewis Hamilton is satisfied despite everything. Overall, it's not what I was hoping for, but there was so much to get used to, with all the set-ups and changes [the team] were asking me [over the radio]. It was definitely very, very tricky today. I think we can improve on that in the next race, hopefully, and put the car in a better position. I think there's a lot more potential in the car than what we were able to extract today."

Hamilton still has to adapt at Ferrari

Long stuck behind Alexander albon During the first two-thirds of the race, the Briton saw an opportunity open up on lap 44, when rain began to fall on Albert Park. The Scuderia then took a risky gamble: staying on track with slick tires on an increasingly wet track. At this point in the race, the Italian team estimated that the passing shower would only last one or two laps at most, but the intensity was such that the track quickly became soaked.

“The rain got a little bit heavier in the last sector, but the rest of the track was okay. Obviously, I didn't know where everyone else was, I know some had stopped… Then it started to rain [more], and nobody told me it was raining more elsewhere, and all of a sudden I was faced with rain on the rest of the track, explains Lewis Hamilton. It's a bit of a missed opportunity, but I'm glad I stayed the course."

Ultimately, even though he was able to lead a lap of the Australian Grand Prix, the Briton was called back to the pits by his team, Ferrari having decided to model its strategy on the other teams. By stopping a lap later than the others, Lewis Hamilton found himself relegated to 9th position, before being successively overtaken by Charles Leclerc et Oscar piastri on the last lap, with a remarkable maneuver on the outside of the chicane at turns 9-10. The seven-time world champion earned a point by overtaking a Pierre Gasly at bay with his brakes. While this isn't Lewis Hamilton's dream debut at Ferrari, the Englishman can be satisfied with having made it through this "integration weekend" without making any huge blunders. A small victory.

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