The Melbourne race, 90% likely to take place under rain, could present a double challenge for some drivers.
Lewis Hamilton’s first qualifying with Ferrari didn’t go as planned. Due to a wrong setup (disqualification risk?) and a rapid change in wind conditions, the seven-time world champion was unable to go beyond eighth place, behind his teammate Charles Leclerc.
However, the Melbourne qualifying is now just a memory, as the British driver’s focus is on Sunday’s race, which, according to forecasts, should take place under rain. Meteo France indicates a 91% chance of rain for the race time, with precipitation expected to last throughout the day, potentially disrupting or, at the very least, reshuffling the cards on the table.
Rain, however, could represent a double challenge for some drivers, including the Briton. Hamilton, always one of the best wet-weather drivers on the grid, is coming off a victory at Silverstone last season under similar conditions, but this time things could be quite different.
At the moment, Hamilton is undergoing a learning process with the SF-25, trying to understand every secret of a car that’s completely different from last season’s, and especially different from the Mercedes. The brakes are also different: Ferrari uses Brembo brakes, while Mercedes used Carbon Industrie discs. Sainz and Ocon are in a similar situation.
When asked about a possible wet race, Hamilton responded: “In Ferrari, we use Brembo brakes, which I haven’t used in a long, long time, since I was much younger. I don’t know how Brembo brakes perform in the wet, how they respond, if there will be glazing, what settings I should use with this car; everything is very different.”
Photo: Scuderia Ferrari Gallery