Lewis Hamilton acknowledged that it might be “a little bit early” for him to compete for pole position on Saturday during his first race weekend with Ferrari.
After Friday’s practice sessions at the Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton finished fifth, 0.42 seconds behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, who topped the timesheets ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Hamilton stated, “I think it’s a little bit early for me to be fighting for pole as I’m still getting to grips with the car, but you never know. I’ll give it my all, but I’m not putting too much pressure on myself. I’ll just try to enjoy it. There’s some pace I can unlock, and I know where to find it; it’s just about going out and doing it.”
At 40, Hamilton expressed how exciting it was to prepare for his first race with Ferrari. He described the experience as “amazing” and said it felt great to be on track with the team. However, after 12 years with Mercedes, he mentioned that the Ferrari car felt very different and took some time to adjust to during the first session, where he was 0.61 seconds off Leclerc and ended up 12th fastest, while Leclerc was third.
Reflecting on his progress, Hamilton said, “P2 was definitely better, but I’m just slowly getting more comfortable and improving bit by bit. The car doesn’t feel bad; it just demands a different driving style. I’m adjusting my approach gradually but enjoying the experience.”
Hamilton emphasized that he is still in the process of learning with his new team and car, noting, “I’m still figuring out the set-up changes. At Mercedes, I knew everything inside out, but here, I’m still learning what tools we can use. Charles, having been here for a long time, has that knowledge, but I’m slowly piecing everything together.”
Regarding race pace, Hamilton was closer to Leclerc, averaging about 0.1 seconds off during long runs, with Ferrari appearing to edge out McLaren in terms of overall speed.
“The long-run pace was competitive with the others,” he said. “McLaren looks strong, and the top teams are pretty close. It’s been a fun day overall—just being here in red has been awesome.”
