Audio – Lewis Hamilton frustrated on team radio after Australian GP strategy: “We must not do that again”. Lewis Hamilton expressed frustration over Ferrari’s strategy during the 2026 Australian GP.

The long-awaited new era of Formula 1 is finally here, and after the Australian Grand Prix – the opening round of the 2026 season – fans and teams were able to get a first real glimpse of the spectacle offered by the new generation of cars. As a reminder, the new machines are the result of the latest technical regulations, featuring major changes both on the power unit side and in terms of aerodynamics.

The race in Melbourne also offered the first indications about the competitive order in the new championship. On paper, Mercedes showed impressive strength at Albert Park, securing a dominant one-two finish with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, who crossed the line first and second after 58 laps.

That result – also considering the gaps to their rivals – highlighted the quality of the Brackley team’s overall package, which at the moment appears to be the benchmark everyone else must chase. Ferrari, meanwhile, emerged as the second-strongest force, finishing third with Charles Leclerc and fourth with Lewis Hamilton. The Scuderia also managed to excite the fans and briefly challenge the Silver Arrows in the opening laps thanks to a strong start.

Strong start

Along with the launch off the line, Ferrari also showed solid performance in several other areas, including race pace, tyre management and overall race execution, particularly from its drivers. At the finish line, the gap between the Prancing Horse and race winner George Russell was around 15 seconds.

In short, after a disappointing qualifying session, Ferrari left Albert Park with the glass half full. The Maranello team is well aware that it is currently the first – and so far only – serious challenger to Mercedes. At the same time, Ferrari knows it finally has a solid technical foundation from which to develop the car and build the basis for a competitive and consistent season.

However, as team principal Fred Vasseur also admitted, there is still plenty of work to do, both in terms of development and race management. And it is precisely in the strategic department that Ferrari may have its only real regret from the Australian weekend.

Hamilton disappointed

During the early stages of the race, with Charles Leclerc leading and Hamilton running in third place, a Virtual Safety Car was deployed. Mercedes immediately reacted by bringing both drivers into the pits to make their first stop, switching from the Medium compound to the Hard tyres and committing to a long final stint of more than forty laps.

Ferrari, on the other hand, decided to stay out and not cover the move made by their rivals.

The Scuderia could have potentially replicated the strategy a few laps later, when another VSC was triggered by Valtteri Bottas going off track. However, race control temporarily closed the pit lane while the Cadillac was being recovered, indirectly tying Ferrari’s hands and preventing a reaction.

In hindsight, that missed opportunity might have cost Ferrari a possible chance to fight for victory – although, of course, no one can say for certain how the race would have unfolded.

Even so, given the situation at that moment, the Ferrari pit wall could have attempted a gamble by covering Mercedes with one of the two cars while still keeping the other protected on track.

That is exactly what Lewis Hamilton would have preferred. At the end of the race, the seven-time world champion voiced his frustration over the radio regarding the decision taken by Ferrari’s strategists.

Hamilton: “How far ahead were they?”

Santi: “15 seconds. Basically it’s the pit stop.”

Hamilton: “Yeah… we need to go back and look at that. We must not do that again.”

Santi: “In the last stint you were by far the fastest.”