Lewis Hamilton insisted he is « proud » of his Ferrari colleagues after a strong start to the new Formula 1 season. The seven-time world champion was fighting with team-mate Charles Leclerc for a place on the podium at the end of an engaging Australian Grand Prix but had to settle for fourth, ensuring his long wait for a first GP podium in red goes on.
It might have been even better for the Scuderia, had they pitted earlier under virtual safety car conditions after Mercedes had brought in pole-sitter George Russell. But they gambled on the Silver Arrows struggling to keep their tyres alive and lost, as Mercedes started the new season with a one-two finish and maximum points.
And even though Hamilton missed out on the podium, he was full of optimism as he reflected on a generally strong start to the season for Ferrari despite what was, in hindsight, a strategy blunder. He said: « I’m generally really proud of the team. They’ve done an amazing job to get the car to where it is.
« Of course, we’re not as fast as Mercedes – we’ve got work to do – but we’re right in the fight. And it was a really fun race. It felt really good for me. A couple more laps and I would have had Charles. So there are lots and lots of positives to take from today. I think all weekend we’ve been really strong.
« Qualifying didn’t show our true pace, we had a few problems with qualifying which meant I was further back than I should have been. Anyway, I went into today and none of us knew what the true pace was going to be, but I felt great from the get-go and was obviously closing a gap right at the end to Charles.
« A couple more laps and I think I would have had Charles, maybe one or two more laps. So there are lots and lots of positives to take. » Ferrari were unable to match the power of Mercedes and their new engines on the straights, some of which are relatively long in Melbourne, but Hamilton saw reason to believe that the gap can be closed as the season goes on if Ferrari get their development right.
He added: « We’ve got a lot more work to do to catch Mercedes, but it’s not impossible. A big grazie tutti to everyone back in the factory, I’m really proud of everybody for the work we’ve done, but we’ve still got to keep pushing and digging deep. And I’ll keep pushing until the next race.
« I do believe we can close the gap. It’s not going to be easy, we’ve got a lot of work to do to close it because it’s quite significant, particularly on a single lap. We need to find out whether it’s power or battery power, but the car is just as quick through the corners so we’ve got to keep pushing. »
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