Beyond even the darkest pessimism. It’s true that the first race means little in the context of a Formula 1 World Championship that will conclude just before Christmas, but starting with an eighth and a tenth place for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton is depressing, especially when just the day before Ferrari had suggested it was ready to win right away. No, it’s just not right. The fact that six teams finished ahead of Ferrari at the 5.278-kilometre Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne is dramatic and unexcusable. It is somewhat understandable that McLaren was ahead of everyone, as it showed both in qualifying and in the race, but the fact that Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were not put in a position to attack, or even defend themselves, is unacceptable.
On Saturday, given the poor times in practice, it was thought that Ferrari had sacrificed itself by choosing a wet setup to attack during the race. Not at all. Clearly, there was something else. What? We don’t know, no one explained it, and Charles Leclerc, who had hinted at the mystery, kept quiet even after the race.
The reality is that Ferrari was non-existent on dry track surface, terribly struggling in the rain (at times the gap was more than 2.5 seconds per lap), and, to make matters worse, further slowed down by strategic errors. Too many negative things all together to think that Ferrari made no mistakes during the winter. Next Sunday, the race will be in China, and it will definitely go better. It has to go better. Then comes the graduation exam in Japan, and only after that race can we assess things.
And Lewis Hamilton’s debut in red? A disaster. Slow, clumsy, overtaken without the right to reply by Charles Leclerc, after a flurry of overly formal statements about his love for the red team, the wonderful environment he found, how everyone at Ferrari is nice, talented, and good. But how must he have felt when he saw the race results, with Kimi Antonelli, at 18 years old, driving his Mercedes, finishing in fifth? A very tough debut for Lewis: Charles Leclerc, who gave him no favors, unleashed after a winter in which he had stayed in the shadows, contemplating revenge. Very impressive from the Monegasque driver with the double overtake on the first lap, then frustrated by the car and the performance of others, with a spin that complicated his day and dropped him outside the top five.
In the chaos of rain, dry conditions, and the final downpour, there was only McLaren in Melbourne. Lando Norris dominated despite a couple of mistakes, and it became clear why Max Verstappen is the undisputed world champion. In the most precarious grip conditions, the Dutchman, with a perfect strategy set by the Red Bull pit, showed his skill, coming close to overtaking the British driver. He could have tried, but settled for second place, which pushes Red Bull to the top. Oscar Piastri was strong until two-thirds of the race, then he paid for his aggression and immaturity. On the other hand, a praise to Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who raced like a driver with great experience and showed qualities beyond his impressive fifth place. George Russell did well, finishing third, and Alex Albon did excellently, bringing Williams into the top positions, while Carlos Sainz crashed immediately, followed by another veteran, Fernando Alonso.
A race without drama, with the McLaren cars always in front, Charles Leclerc long in fifth, and Lewis Hamilton eighth until the storm chaos. A strange race but not crazy, because there is logic in the result, and nothing came by chance. China, for those without an orange car, will already be a chance for redemption.
— see video above —
