Ferrari’s disastrous season opener: Hamilton’s struggles and strategic errors in Melbourne as a nightmare start for Ferrari in 2025 – Ferrari had imagined a very different start to the 2025 Formula One season. However, the opening race in Melbourne turned into a disaster, leaving the Scuderia in disarray after a series of mistakes and misfortunes. In wet conditions, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished eighth and tenth respectively, marking a frustrating and disappointing start for the iconic Italian team.
What should have been a new and promising chapter for Hamilton at Ferrari quickly turned sour. The seven-time world champion endured a difficult debut, struggling with his new car and finishing an unimpressive tenth. Ferrari’s botched strategy ensured that a podium finish was never within reach, setting off alarm bells within the team after just one race.
Hamilton’s frustrating first outing for Ferrari
From the moment the lights went out in Melbourne, it was clear that Hamilton’s first Grand Prix in Ferrari red was going to be an uphill struggle. The Briton, known for his precision and adaptability, found himself wrestling with an unruly car, battling both the tricky weather conditions and the limitations of his SF-25.
“It was very complicated, it went much worse than I expected,” Hamilton admitted in a post-race interview with Sky Sports, his frustration palpable. His car was, as he put it, “really difficult to drive today”.
At times it seemed as if Hamilton was fighting for survival rather than a strong result. “I am grateful that I was able to keep it away from the walls. That’s where it wanted to go all the time,” he added with a touch of gallows humour.
Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport didn’t mince its words, describing the race as a “bitter awakening” for Ferrari. The verdict was clear: the team has “a lot of work to do” before it can dream of challenging for the championship.
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Ferrari’s strategy blunder costs dearly
Ferrari’s struggles weren’t just limited to car performance. Much of their problems in Melbourne stemmed from another strategic miscalculation – something that has plagued the team in recent seasons.
In the tricky wet conditions, Ferrari’s race strategy left both Leclerc and Hamilton vulnerable to their rivals by failing to adapt quickly enough to the changing conditions. While teams like Red Bull and McLaren managed their race strategies with precision, Ferrari once again found themselves on the back foot.
It was a bitter pill to swallow, especially considering the optimism surrounding Hamilton’s arrival. Many had hoped that his vast experience and championship pedigree would help sharpen Ferrari’s approach. Instead, the team’s recurring flaws in race execution were once again on full display.
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Leadership concerns: Hamilton voices his discontent
Beyond the car’s handling issues and strategic failures, Hamilton also expressed concern about the lack of clear leadership from the Ferrari pit wall during the race.
“It was a challenge for me to get used to the new power unit in the wet, to the steering wheel settings, the driving is just different,” he explained.
Towards the end of the race, however, Hamilton became increasingly frustrated with the level of guidance he was receiving from his race engineer. At one point, he even asked for fewer instructions over the radio. “Leave it to me,” he said. “It’s not a problem.”
For a driver as experienced as Hamilton, such a comment suggests a lack of confidence in Ferrari’s ability to provide decisive and effective race management. Given that Ferrari has often been criticised for its hesitant and sometimes chaotic decision-making under pressure, this early complaint from Hamilton is hardly reassuring for the Scuderia’s prospects this season.
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Ferrari ‘flop of the weekend’
If there was any doubt about how Ferrari’s performance was perceived, former F1 driver and Sky pundit Timo Glock summed it up bluntly: “Of the top teams, Ferrari is the flop of the weekend”.
The fact that Hamilton – one of the most decorated drivers in the sport’s history – finished behind Nico Hulkenberg in a Sauber that was not expected to be competitive only made matters worse. It was a brutal reality check for Ferrari, who entered the 2025 season with high hopes of challenging Red Bull and McLaren.
“I hope we’ll see an upturn and that Shanghai will be more accommodating to them from a track perspective,” added Glock. “It was a tough weekend for Ferrari.”
Can Ferrari recover before Shanghai?
Despite the disastrous start, there is still time for Ferrari to turn things around. The next race in Shanghai will be crucial in determining whether Melbourne was a one-off struggle or a sign of deeper problems within the team.
The biggest concerns revolve around Ferrari’s strategy department and whether the SF-25’s unpredictability in tricky conditions is a fundamental problem or something that can be ironed out in future races.
For Hamilton, the disappointment of Melbourne is undeniable. But if anyone can help Ferrari get back on track, it is the seven-time world champion. The question now is whether the Scuderia can provide him with the tools to do so before the championship battle slips away.
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MORE F1 NEWS – Helmut Marko slams ’embarrassing’ crying Hadjar
Helmut Marko slams Hadjar’s emotional outburst after formation lap crash in Australia – The opening race of the 2025 Formula One season had not yet begun, but for Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar, the dream of a successful debut in Melbourne turned into a nightmare before he had even taken his place on the grid. In heartbreaking scenes at Albert Park, the young Frenchman lost control of his car during the formation lap, crashing into the barriers at Turn 2. Overwhelmed with emotion, he stood by the side of the track in tears, evoking memories of Mika Hakkinen’s famous retirement crash at Monza in 1999.
But while many sympathised with Hadjar’s ordeal, not everyone was so understanding. Red Bull’s notoriously ruthless motorsport consultant, Helmut Marko, showed little patience for the young driver’s visible despair. Speaking to Austrian broadcaster ORF, Marko dismissed Hadjar’s reaction out of hand, grinning as he remarked: “That was a bit embarrassing.” … READ MORE ON THIS STORY
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