Hamilton eyes strong Ferrari debut against Verstappen in Australian GP

Lewis Hamilton, seven-time champion, will aim for a strong start against world champion Max Verstappen when he makes his highly anticipated Ferrari debut at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix this week.

Hamilton chase record eighth title

Hamilton, a former Mercedes driver, is bidding for a record eighth world title and his first since 2020 after being outshone by the Dutchman and his dominant Red Bull team in recent years.

A move to Ferrari after a glorious 12-year spell at Mercedes has rejuvenated the 40-year-old, who is eager to apply the lessons learned from 162 laps of testing in Bahrain last month to race conditions.
“I’m so excited to get to the first race in Melbourne. I can’t wait to go racing with them,” Hamilton said of Ferrari.

“The passion here is like nothing you’ve ever seen.

“They’ve got absolutely every ingredient they need to win a world championship, and it’s just about putting all the pieces together.”

Ferrari’s strong record in Australia

Hamilton has tasted victory twice at the fast and bumpy Albert Park circuit with McLaren and Mercedes, but not since 2015.

Ferrari, however, has fared better in recent years, winning four of the last six Australian races—including in 2024 when Carlos Sainz, the man Hamilton replaced, took the chequered flag ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc.

Verstappen downplays expectations

Verstappen started from pole but failed to finish in Melbourne last year, limping out with smoke billowing from a brake fire.

It was a minor setback for the Dutchman, who went on to clinch a fourth world title with two races to spare ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Now, the 27-year-old Verstappen is bidding to become only the second driver behind Michael Schumacher to win five championships in a row.

Despite his dominance, Verstappen has been keen to play down expectations, telling Dutch media:
“I don’t think we can fight for the win already in Melbourne.

“If you look at the lap times, then I think McLaren is the favourite,” Verstappen added, referring to Bahrain testing.

“On our side, not everything went completely smoothly, but on the other hand, we have some ideas on how to improve.”