Why did Ferrari lose out in Australian GP qualifying?
Ferrari endured a disappointing afternoon in F1 2025's first qualifying session as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton settled for the fourth row
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari spins
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
While McLaren had been the clear pre-event favourite for the Australian Grand Prix, the pecking order behind the papaya squad offered more surprises.
Ferrari couldn't live up to expectations that it would be McLaren's closest challenger followed by Red Bull, mirroring the end result of last year's world championship.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton initially looked competitive in Saturday's Q1, but neither driver managed to dramatically improve his lap times throughout the session. The pair shaved off one to two tenths in each mini-session, while McLaren's Lando Norris took off nearly a second off his leading Q1 time to grab pole ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri.
With margins as tight as expected as Formula 1's midfield closes ranks, that wobble meant both drivers were beaten by a Racing Bulls car, driven by an excellent Yuki Tsunoda, and Alexander Albon's much improved Williams. Meanwhile, Red Bull's Max Verstappen couldn't believe his luck as he qualified third, fearing he would not make it onto the front two rows.
"We lost the pace a little bit throughout qualifying," Leclerc said after qualifying seventh, one spot ahead of Hamilton. "As soon as we started to push the car more, we found more and more inconsistency, which was a bit of a shame.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari SF-25 spins
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
"We had to push a lot to try and make a lap time, but we didn't really follow the track for some reason, so we've got to look into it. In the last sector you also have the most overheating, and I was struggling with it today a lot more than I did yesterday. I think the gaps today are bigger than what they should be."
Hamilton, who qualified in eighth on his first competitive outing for Ferrari, was buoyed by being so close to Leclerc from the get-go despite having to adjust to Ferrari's car philosophy, which is substantially different from the Mercedes lineage of cars he has driven since 2013.
"I was just improving every single lap, session on session," an upbeat Hamilton said. "Big learning curve this weekend, the car was feeling so different than I've ever experienced here. It's been a lot slower process for me to really build confidence in the car.
"If you look at the high-speed [corners], everywhere I've been down all weekend to Charles, who just had it from the minute he went out, he knew what the car does. I got a lot closer towards him in the end, and to be that close to Charles in my first qualifying session in the car against a great qualifier [was positive]."
Hamilton echoed Leclerc's comments over the track conditions getting away from Ferrari on a sweltering day in Melbourne, and reckons the team could have done more to adjust its car set-up and out-lap approach.
"We were definitely overheating [the tyres], so I would imagine, as the track was dropping in temperature, our approach probably should have adjusted, but we didn't," he admitted. "I just did the same thing, same prep, every session, and we probably need to be a bit more dynamic."
Photos from Australian GP - Practice & Qualifying
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday
Share Or Save This Story
Carlos Sainz says Madrid’s new F1 circuit is “faster than it looks” after first laps
Former FIA aero chief officially joins Alpine in senior F1 role
The paradox of change as F1 2027 decision nears
Ollie Bearman admits F2 did not prepare him for brutal reality of Ferrari F1 debut
Rob Smedley sounds alarm on "slightly soul-destroying" Ferrari F1 upgrades
Why some F1 team bosses think drivers shouldn't have a say in the rules
Ryan Preece in flames after huge crash at the start of NASCAR All-Star Race
Final Catalan GP results as five riders penalised and Joan Mir loses MotoGP podium
Nurburgring 24 Hours agony may motivate Max Verstappen to return – Daniel Juncadella
Alex Marquez suffers fractures in frightening Catalan GP crash
How F1's ADUO system works
How Colton Herta is chasing his F1 dream
How Formula 1 driving has changed – and stayed the same
Remembering a lost Italian F1 hero 40 years on
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.
Top Comments