Lewis Hamilton experienced a contrasting first day at the Australian Grand Prix. Despite some difficulties on track, the Ferrari driver believes the team has already gathered valuable information about its new car.
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For his first official runs of the weekend in Melbourne, Lewis Hamilton was particularly consistent. The seven-time world champion set the second-fastest time during the first free practice session before finishing the second session in fourth place, thus remaining among the fastest drivers of the day.
No other driver managed to finish in the top 4 during both Friday sessions. This consistency is an encouraging sign for Ferrari, as the Scuderia tries to gauge the real potential of its new SF-26 on the Albert Park circuit.
During FP2, Hamilton finished just 0,001 seconds behind George Russell’s Mercedes, a tiny gap that illustrates how close the field seems at the start of this 2026 Formula 1 season. Ahead of him, young Kimi Antonelli also delivered a solid performance, placing the Mercedes among the day’s benchmarks.
Even if the hierarchy remains unclear after these first hours of running, Ferrari already seems capable of joining the fight at the top of the timesheets.
A sometimes tricky session on track
Despite this overall positive assessment, the day was not entirely smooth for Hamilton. During the second practice session, the Briton had a small scare when he went slightly off the ideal line, which briefly sent him into the gravel.
The incident had no major consequences, but it well illustrates the challenges drivers face with these new cars from the 2026 regulations. Between energy management, aerodynamic balance, and tire understanding, teams still need to accumulate many kilometers to refine their setups.
Despite these occasional difficulties, Hamilton believes Ferrari was able to take advantage of this day to better understand the behavior of the SF-26.
“The day was really positive. It’s great to get back on track and finally get into the heart of the matter,” explained the Briton after the practice sessions.
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Valuable data for the rest of the weekend
Beyond the lap times, the main objective of this first day was primarily to collect as much data as possible. On this point, Hamilton considers that Ferrari has completed an important part of the planned work.
“It was sometimes tricky on track, but we managed to optimize our stints and execute our program as best as possible,” he detailed. “We were able to gather good information about the car.”
This data will be crucial for preparing for the rest of the weekend, especially qualifying and the race. Ferrari engineers will now analyze the various stints completed by Hamilton to identify areas where the car can still improve.
Hamilton eager to continue the work
For the British driver, this first day was also marked by a special atmosphere in Melbourne. The former Mercedes driver said he was particularly happy to be back in the Australian Grand Prix atmosphere and to see the massive support from the fans around the circuit.
“It’s incredible to be here. I feel truly grateful to be able to do what I love, and seeing so many fans today is fantastic,” Hamilton confided.
While everything is still to be done in this Australian weekend, the Ferrari driver is already eager to continue the work on the second day.
“There are still many things to improve, but I’m looking forward to getting back in the car tomorrow,” he concluded.
Ferrari now hopes to confirm these first encouraging signs during qualifying, with the goal for Hamilton to aim for a first podium with the Scuderia right from this season opener.
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