Lewis Hamilton’s First Weekend with Ferrari: A Matter of Adjustment

Last weekend at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, the signing of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton took the Ferrari frenzy to unprecedented heights. Red tifosi hats were a common sight, competing with the papaya-orange-clad supporters of McLaren‘s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris as they witnessed Hamilton gearing up for his debut in red.

Thursday: The Most Exciting Period of My Life

On Thursday, the Scuderia left no stone unturned to properly orchestrate Hamilton’s welcome in Maranello. Following three days of testing in Bahrain, attention to detail was also on display with a customized Hamilton logo and welcome message integrated into his steering wheel. Hamilton’s excitement was clear for all to see when he addressed the media.

Although he acknowledged the adaptation period he would need in the vastly different car after 12 years at Mercedes, Hamilton expressed optimism about getting into a good rhythm. He emphasized that this is the most exciting period of his life and was enjoying every moment of it.

Friday: Rebuilding Muscle Memory

That adaptation continued at Albert Park on Friday with a “messy” FP1 session, in which Hamilton was six tenths shy of teammate Leclerc, while his fifth place in FP2 looked more promising. One challenge for the 40-year-old was to understand what set-up changes he could make, as the tools at his disposal are not necessarily the same as the ones he could use at Mercedes.

Hamilton admitted that he’s still getting used to all the set-up changes and is working to understand what tools they can use. He commented that Leclerc just knows because he’s been there for so long, indicating that muscle memory needs to be rebuilt from scratch again.

Saturday: Red Love is Different, but Where Did Ferrari’s Pace Go?

For all of Hamilton’s tribulations getting dialled in, at least Ferrari still seemed competitive with Leclerc topping FP2. However, the team struggled to find more time over the next two mini-sessions, with Hamilton actually slower in Q3 than in Q2 – when he suffered a spin – while rivals still found chunks of lap time.

The end result was sobering, with Leclerc and Hamilton qualifying seventh and eighth respectively, behind the Racing Bulls car of Yuki Tsunoda and the Williams of Alex Albon, leaving Ferrari scratching its head as to why it couldn’t keep evolving with the track conditions.

Sunday: Teething Issues Dent Scuderia Debut

On Saturday, Hamilton had made the frank admission that he wasn’t fully across the Ferrari’s wet-weather settings yet, a comment which foreshadowed a tricky debut as he struggled to keep the car on track for much of the afternoon.

Hamilton was unable to follow Leclerc through past Albon and Tsunoda, and while chasing the Williams, his lack of chemistry with Carlos Sainz’s former race engineer Riccardo Adami first surfaced on the radio. He politely but curtly asked the Italian to “leave me to it please” and not to repeat instructions so much.

Those are just the more interesting soundbites that made it into the broadcast. Listening back to their entire exchange throughout the race, Hamilton and Adami were otherwise working together just fine for large spells of the contest. It’s a difficult balancing exercise for Adami, because on one hand Hamilton genuinely needs more information, instructions, and reminders relayed to him in his first few races in a Ferrari than he needed at Mercedes, but he also clearly prefers comms to be tightened up.

The Honeymoon Period Ain’t Over Just Yet

What didn’t help was Ferrari misjudging the advent of another rain shower, telling Hamilton (and Leclerc) to stay out on slicks – which briefly netted him the lead – because “hopefully” there was no more rain coming. Cheers erupted from the grandstands as the tifosi reached for their rain ponchos, but the call soon turned out to be wrong as the drizzle intensified.

Hamilton’s response to his Australian ordeal was sobering but pragmatic. “They said it was just a short shower and all of a sudden, more came. I think it was just lacking that bit of information at the end,” he said. “I’ve learned a huge amount this weekend. I’ve got some changes I’m making next week and see how it goes. But today was a crash course driving a Ferrari in the rain. It went a lot worse than I thought it would go.”

Ferrari will have some homework to do with an inherently good car it must unlock more performance from, just like Hamilton is still grinding through the data to unlock more performance from himself. The honeymoon period isn’t over just yet, but what seems clear is that a fairy-tale conclusion with an eighth world title will have to wait.