Lewis Hamilton qualified eighth for his Ferrari debut at the Australian Grand Prix. It was a disappointing performance for the Scuderia, with Charles Leclerc joining him on the fourth row.

Hamilton had been the slowest Ferrari driver throughout Friday and Saturday, although he managed to pull away from Leclerc’s lead. The double gap is far from disastrous.

The 40-year-old struggled in qualifying during 2024, losing 19-5 in the Mercedes to George Russell. Martin Brundle says Leclerc is the fastest driver in F1 over a single lap, so in that context the gap is manageable.

However, Hamilton will remain disheartened to see Ferrari slipping behind Yuki Tsunoda’s Bulls race car and Alex Albon’s Williams. They were clearly the biggest underachievers at Albert Park.

The seven-time world champion finished a close second in the pole positions, with Lando Norris taking the lead. The team will be asking for caution given the early season, but this is a much larger gap than expected.

Lewis Hamilton was left confused by Ferrari’s poor qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix

Hamilton has a new race engineer for the first time since 2012 after his partnership with Peter Bonnington ended. Riccardo Adami, who previously worked with Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel, has taken over the role.

The two-time Australian Grand Prix winner sounded a little bewildered on the radio in a message that wasn’t broadcast on the world’s feed amid the focus on the top three.

“I don’t know what happened there, man,” Hamilton said.

Adami sought to reassure his driver that he had done a “good job” in his first qualifying session. Hamilton had been six-tenths behind Leclerc, his main reference, at the start of the weekend.

“Tough,” said the engineer. “Overall, good work all around.”

There’s a 60% chance of rain for Sunday’s race, which could suit Ferrari if they struggle with their car in the drying process. Driver skill tends to come into its own in those conditions.

How Lewis Hamilton tricked Martin Brundle into joining Ferrari

After Friday’s practice sessions, F1 paddock experts predicted Ferrari would be the fastest in qualifying. That proved to be emphatically broad for the brand.

McLaren dominated at the finish, as Norris and Oscar Piasstri took one and two. The closest challenger, Max Verstappen, was almost four-tenths off the post.

Hamilton’s debut will ultimately be judged by his race performance. He still has a chance to make it a joyous occasion.

Brundle says Hamilton hasn’t been telling the truth about Ferrari for years. He used to insist he was a “Mercedes man,” but his emotion after his move proves otherwise.