Lewis Hamilton said he is enthusiastic and confident that Ferrari can challenge Mercedes for the world title after the new Formula One season began in Australia on Sunday.
The Melbourne Grand Prix was won by Mercedes driver George Russell, with teammate Kimi Antonelli finishing second, while Ferrari took third and fourth places with Charles Leclerc and Hamilton. Both drivers launched strong starts, gaining positions to first and third respectively, and for the first twelve laps they were firmly in contention with Russell leading the pack.
In the end they fell out of the winning mix when Mercedes exploited a virtual safety car to make a quick pit stop, whereas Ferrari elected not to pit. Nevertheless the Scuderia displayed strong speed and a revitalised Hamilton insisted they could still chase the frontrunners.
“The team performed admirably overall,” he said. “There are many positives to take away. A few more laps and I would have had Charles, so I know we can fight for podiums. We’re not as quick as Mercedes but we’re right in the battle. We have a lot of work ahead to catch them, but it’s not impossible.”
After a difficult debut season with Ferrari, Hamilton ended 2025 somewhat disillusioned, calling it a “nightmare” year in which he failed to reach the podium for the first time in his career. Having reset over the winter, he returned eager to enjoy the competition again, finding the cars under the new regulations more to his taste. In Melbourne they got off to a good start and the seven‑time champion also noted that the team would review its strategic choices.
“I feel great,” he said. “We secured third and fourth and ultimately Mercedes were quicker than us. We need to assess whether a stop would have been better. I definitely thought one of us should have pitted to cover Mercedes. We’ll look at how we can improve.”
Mercedes had anticipated being the benchmark and indeed held the advantage when running in clean air, but Hamilton’s fastest ten laps matched Antonelli’s, and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged the threat posed by Ferrari.
“It was a three‑way battle at one point between the two Ferraris and George, and eventually Kimi caught up,” Wolff said. “Our race pace at the end was very encouraging, but at the start there was nothing separating Ferrari and Mercedes. For me, the prevailing feeling now is that we have a fight on our hands with Ferrari.”
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur echoed Hamilton’s optimism that his squad can close the gap to Mercedes.
“It’s good to have two cars fighting at the front,” he said. “We know we have a long list of improvements to make, but that’s positive for us. The outcome of the season will depend on our ability to develop, bring upgrades and deliver them quickly.
“This will be crucial for the season for everyone involved.”
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