Formula 1 Australian GP
Hamilton's making gains adjusting his driving style to Ferrari in time for race day
Seven-time world champion insists his feeling with new F1 car package “doesn't feel bad”, as Leclerc leads 0.4s gap between Ferrari team-mates in Melbourne FP2
Alex Kalinauckas
Edited: Mar 14, 2025, 3:59 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Lewis Hamilton says he has spent the early part of Formula 1’s 2025 Australian Grand Prix adjusting his driving style to suit the requirements of the Ferrari car package he is currently exploring.
In the other SF-25, Charles Leclerc ended the opening day in Melbourne at the head of the times, but also with a big 0.42s gap to Hamilton in FP2, with the Briton having been adrift by 0.6s in FP1 (topped by McLaren’s Lando Norris).
Read Also:
Formula 1F1 Australian GP: Norris fastest in FP1 as Bearman crashes, Hamilton only 12th
Formula 1F1 Australian GP: Leclerc leads McLaren duo in FP2
Speaking to F1 TV post-FP2, Hamilton said his first day driving for Ferrari on an official F1 race weekend had “felt amazing to get out there and be in a Ferrari here” after a “super exciting build-up to this week”.
“Honestly, the car felt so much different to what I've ever experienced coming to this track,” he added. “So, it took a little bit of bedding in through FP1.
“FP2 is definitely a little better but just building. But we're slowly building and getting a little bit faster bit by bit.”
When ask to clarify what he meant about differences in the SF-25 he was feeling from the Mercedes package he used until 2024’s end, Hamilton said: “Just different. Just a lot different.
“But the car doesn't feel bad or anything. It just requires a different way of driving. So, [I'm] adjusting my driving style bit by bit, but enjoying driving.”
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Ferrari
Hamilton’s driving style has previously consisted of two important elements.
One was maintaining braking stability when hitting the pedal very late that meant holding a car on the edge of under-rotation on corner entry, while he also puts in plenty of energy through the front tyres via many tiny movements as a turn progresses – all of which combines to leave the car moving around considerably at the rear end.
Historically, Hamilton had been able to live with this rear movement and maintain high cornering speed as a result.
He had said at the end of Bahrain pre-season testing that there was “quite a bit to come” in terms of his adaptation process from Mercedes to Ferrari, which appears to be continuing.
Leclerc, meanwhile, utilizes a two-stage approach in his driving style than can be described as ‘little turn, big turn’ – especially in medium- and lower-speed corners – that helps to reduce understeer.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
This also helps with braking input during the final stages of corner approach, but his style at the wheel is overall much smoother than Hamilton’s.
Read Also:
“Honestly, we did good preparation work because the feeling with the car was good,” Leclerc said of his and Ferrari’s work in Melbourne on Friday.
“There's obviously things that we need to improve as always and I'm not very happy with the balance yet, but we are in a much better place compared to Bahrain testing. There's still some performance to find, but that's the same for everybody in the paddock.
“Those cars are pretty new for everyone. So you've got to push it to understand where exactly the limit is. But it's been a solid first day. Now we've got to wait and see how it goes tomorrow when we push a bit more.”
Photos from Australian GP - Free Practice
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday
Formula 1
60
Read Also:
Formula 1Hamilton defends his ‘shelf life’: “You can’t compare me to another 40-year-old”
Formula 1Leclerc's life in the shadows since Hamilton's Ferrari arrival
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article “Too much, too soon” – Bearman rues Melbourne FP1 crash
Next article Horner defends Lawson after he was “too slow” in Melbourne F1 practice
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Alex Kalinauckas
Who is Kimi Antonelli, F1 sprint polesitter at just 18?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Who is Kimi Antonelli, F1 sprint polesitter at just 18?
Why Bottas has the edge over Perez in 2026 F1 return race
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Why Bottas has the edge over Perez in 2026 F1 return race
What if Red Bull solved its second-car problem with a paint job?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
What if Red Bull solved its second-car problem with a paint job?
More from
Lewis Hamilton
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Why Ferrari caved in to Lewis Hamilton’s failed Singapore F1 gamble
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Why Ferrari caved in to Lewis Hamilton’s failed Singapore F1 gamble
More from
Ferrari
Ferrari promotes F2 racer to F1 reserve driver role
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Ferrari promotes F2 racer to F1 reserve driver role
The six drivers doing double duty in Portimao GTWCE and Barcelona WEC this weekend
WEC
WEC
Barcelona
The six drivers doing double duty in Portimao GTWCE and Barcelona WEC this weekend
Latest news
Christian Horner calls for F1 budget cap rethink: "Teams are spending $500 or $600m"
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
52 min
Christian Horner calls for F1 budget cap rethink: "Teams are spending $500 or $600m"
Phillip Island to remain in use despite MotoGP and WorldSBK departures
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
2 h
Phillip Island to remain in use despite MotoGP and WorldSBK departures
Did Max Verstappen already know the impact of Red Bull’s big upgrade when he signed his new deal?
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
3 h
Did Max Verstappen already know the impact of Red Bull’s big upgrade when he signed his new deal?
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe