Australia: Lewis Hamilton’s rear wing damaged by Oscar Piastri’s overtaking move on the outside. Oscar Piastri passed Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the F1 Australian GP.

A weekend to forget for Lewis Hamilton and the Maranello team in Melbourne
Eighth in qualifying and tenth under the checkered flag: Lewis Hamilton’s first weekend as a Ferrari driver was decidedly disappointing. There was huge anticipation to see the F1 wins record holder at the wheel of the most successful car in the history of the category, and it’s undeniable that more was expected from such a prestigious pairing.

There are many mitigating factors for Lewis Hamilton, from the limited testing on the SF-25 to the procedures with the team, from the settings still to be learned and explored to communication with the pit crew, not to mention the wet conditions, which were far from ideal for a debut with a new team.

But Lewis Hamilton was stuck behind Alexander Albon’s Williams without ever having the opportunity to attempt an overtaking move, and then he completely missed the timing to switch to intermediate tires as the track rapidly became wetter. In short, a postcard from Melbourne to quickly discard.

The contact with Oscar Piastri
When the Safety Car left the track, there were 6 laps remaining in the Australian Grand Prix, and Lewis Hamilton was in eighth place. The seven-time world champion was immediately overtaken on the outside of Turn 1 by Charles Leclerc and tried to resist the charge of Oscar Piastri with the McLaren, who was eager to make a comeback. The Australian closed in with a pace of over a second per lap faster and easily passed Hamilton on the last lap, overtaking him on the outside without the Briton being able to put up a fight, in an overtaking move not shown by the cameras.

This video showcases the great maneuver and also how Lewis Hamilton’s SF-25 made contact with Oscar Piastri’s McLaren, ultimately causing significant damage to his front wing. The negative cherry on top of a decidedly disappointing weekend.