Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc faced significant challenges during the qualifying session of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix on March 15, 2025, as both Ferrari drivers positioned themselves on the fourth row of the starting grid, with Leclerc finishing seventh and Hamilton eighth.
Hamilton, who is new to Ferrari after years with Mercedes, described the weekend as eye-opening. "It's been a big learning curve this weekend, the car was so much different from the moment I left the pit-lane," he shared with the media following the session. Despite his struggles adapting to the Ferrari SF-25, which he likened to experiencing something entirely unprecedented, Hamilton expressed his aspirations to perform well.
Throughout the weekend, Hamilton has been working diligently to adjust from his Mercedes experience, noting, "It's been a lot slower process to really build confidence in the car. If you look at the high-speed everywhere, I've been down on Charles, who has just had it from the get-go."
Hamilton's bid for confidence was interrupted after he spun out at Turn 11 during Q2 but recovered to complete the session. Despite being nearly one second slower than pole-sitter Lando Norris, he maintained some hope. He remarked, "To be able to be close to Charles in my first qualifying session against such a great qualifier, I'm pretty happy."
Conversely, Leclerc's performance also fell short of expectations, especially after showcasing speed during practices. "We lost the pace a little bit throughout qualifying," said Leclerc after his qualifying run. He explained how inconsistencies arose as the team attempted to push the limits of the car, indicating, "We had to push a lot to try and make the lap time, but we didn’t really follow the track for some reason."
Leclerc has expressed confidence about the potential of Ferrari's 2025 package, emphasizing, "I think this car has a lot of potential, but for now, we don’t seem to be seeing the right window." Despite this optimism, he admitted the team needed to investigate setup changes made before qualifying, which he felt may have negatively impacted their competitive edge.
Both drivers felt the need to address tire management issues, particularly overheated tires, which seemed to impair their overall performance on the track. "We were definitely overheating [the tires], so I would suggest our approach probably should have adjusted," Hamilton stated, reinforcing Leclerc's observation about the track conditions.
The atmosphere among Ferrari’s team was noticeably tense as it struggled to keep pace with McLaren, who went on to lock out the front row with Norris leading the lineup. This dynamic raises concerns about Ferrari’s ability to compete at the level expected by their supporters and within the high stakes of Formula 1.
Leclerc concluded by stating, "It's only the first race of the season. We’ve got to stay calm, maximize points tomorrow, whatever they may be, and work from there." His thoughtful response underscored the importance of perspective and patience as the team looks to improve moving forward.
Looking forward to the race, unpredictable weather conditions are expected, with rain possibly impacting the event. This could present both challenges and opportunities for the Ferrari team as they head onto the track for their first competition of the season. Leclerc hoped for favorable conditions, noting, "Everybody’s going to be going on to complete unknown. Nobody has done one lap in the rain with these cars."
With the 2025 F1 season now officially underway, both Hamilton and Leclerc are evaluated on how they adjust and learn from the early setbacks during the Australian Grand Prix, emphasizing the need for strategic improvements both individually and cohesively as part of the Ferrari team. The race on March 16 will provide clues to their true competitiveness moving forward.