Hamilton optimistic despite missing the podium: "It was a really nice race"

At the end of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton expressed overall satisfaction with his race. The Scuderia Ferrari driver was particularly pleased with the pace of his car and the encouraging prospects for the rest of the Formula 1 season.

Published 08/03/2026 à 08:07

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Hamilton optimistic despite missing the podium: "It was a really nice race."

The first round of the season in Melbourne offered a lively and hard-fought race at the front of the pack. In this context, Lewis Hamilton stayed with the leading group for a long time, taking advantage of a solid pace to remain in contention until the final laps of the Australian Grand Prix, but was unable to overtake his teammate Charles Leclerc to get on the podium.

The Briton also felt after the finish that a slightly different scenario could have allowed him to achieve an even better result. "I feel great, I could have continued, I wish the race had been five laps longer and I would have finished on the podium! There are a lot of positives to take away from today, the car is fast and it was a really fun race."

Beyond the raw result, the seven-time World Champion of Formula 1 he especially remembered the positive sensations he felt behind the wheel of his Classic Ferrari for sale. The car Red seems more than capable of fighting at the forefront, although some areas still need improvement to fully compete with the Mercedes Benz, which have clearly established themselves as the best cars on the grid.

Lewis Hamilton specifically mentioned a deficit in power management compared to some competitors, a factor that could explain the difficulty in attacking during certain phases of the race. “We still have a bit of work to do on the power because they have more power than everyone else, or more battery, I'm not really sure. We really maximized our performance and our result, I felt really great in the car so I'm looking forward to the next races.”

Despite everything, this Australian Grand Prix offers encouraging prospects for the British driver and Ferrari, who seem to have a competitive base to regularly fight at the front throughout the season. The next race of the season, the Chinese Grand Prix from March 13th to 15th, will be the first Sprint weekend of the year, another event in which the Scuderia hopes to be fighting at the front of the grid.