No one has done worse, or almost. Lewis Hamilton’s debut with Ferrari in the Australian Grand Prix was anything but smooth, and the result achieved by the British driver is among the worst in the history of the Prancing Horse.
Only a tenth-place finish and a single point for the seven-time champion, who arrived in Melbourne aware that he needed to familiarize himself with the team but convinced he could aim for something more. The Maranello squad struggled after making a setup change on Saturday, and from that moment on, they were no longer in contention with their rivals.
While on Friday, McLaren seemed within reach and Red Bull was not a concern, the rest of the weekend saw Ferrari even finishing behind Nico Hülkenberg’s Sauber. For this reason, the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix is already shaping up to be a crucial moment for Ferrari, with fans loudly demanding a change in direction.
Only one driver fared worse than Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton has had the worst debut for Ferrari since Luca Badoer. In 2009, the Italian driver was called in to replace Felipe Massa after the Brazilian suffered a horrific accident in Hungary.
On that occasion, Luca Badoer made his debut in Valencia, finishing in 17th place. However, it must be noted that Ferrari was forced to make a quick decision at the time. This led them to temporarily promote their test driver, with expectations that were very different from those placed on Lewis Hamilton.
The Briton certainly has plenty of time to turn things around, though critics already have him in their sights.
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