A nightmare weekend. Ferrari leaves the 5.278-kilometre Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne with an alarming number of question marks and little time to find answers. The scenario that emerged at the end of the Australian Grand Prix weekend is far from the expectations that had been formed beforehand. In the span of twenty-four hours, namely between the qualifying session and the end of the race, a series of problems emerged, presenting a surprising picture, and not in a positive way. The performance of the SF-25 single-seater stands out, confirmed to be far from the McLaren’s. After the first 27 laps, Charles Leclerc had accumulated a 36-second gap from Lando Norris, 19 seconds from Max Verstappen, and 6 from George Russell.
The pairing of the SF-25 and the Albert Park circuit was already confirmed to be less than ideal in qualifying, and little changed in the race. But was the main issue? Setup errors? Poor feeling with the track surface, layout, temperatures? The conditions in which the Australian Grand Prix was held cannot be considered the best for drawing a representative picture, but many things did not work well. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur emphasized that they had collected less than what the potential of their car would have allowed them, and this meant that, as a team, they had not done a good job.
Pit calls cost precious positions and points. The strategists waited one lap too many to call in Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc when Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto went off track, going from a potential haul of fourth and fifth positions to eighth and tenth place in the final standings. Charles Leclerc commented that they would have to review their decisions, ensuring they made the right choice if a similar situation arose again.
The communications between Lewis Hamilton and Riccardo Adami also seemed far from optimal, and the British driver’s adaptation process to the Maranello team still seems to be a work in progress. In several ways, Lewis Hamilton’s race seemed like that of a rookie, cautious in head-to-head battles and sometimes confused with new procedures. It is understandable; it’s not easy to change after twelve seasons, but we are still talking about a seven-time Formula 1 world champion, and this is somewhat surprising. Lewis Hamilton confirmed that he had struggled with the balance, but that the race remained important because it had allowed him to learn more about the car in different weather conditions and to increase his experience working with his new team.
Ferrari hopes that what emerged from today’s race is actually a verdict influenced by atypical weather and track conditions. In a few days, it will be time to fire up the engines again at the Shanghai International circuit, hoping to regain the performance seen on Friday in the two free practice sessions. Such a scenario cannot be categorically ruled out; China could bring different values on track, but as the evening falls in Melbourne, it is clear that the second race on the calendar is already a crucial test for the Italian side. Probably, the Ferrari seen in the Australian Grand Prix is too bad to be true; many factors weighed on the final balance, and some of them could indeed be mistakes from the race.
The goal, however, remains McLaren. If, before the Australian weekend, it seemed like everything was in place for an equal comparison, after the 57 laps completed today at the Albert Park circuit, the feeling is that there is ground to recover. China will show how wide this gap is, whether it can be closed, or if a dramatic shift in seasonal goals will unfortunately need to be considered.
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