Lewis Hamilton breaks silence on Ferrari debut at Australian GP

Lewis Hamilton opens up about his Ferrari debut at the Australian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton opens up about his Ferrari debut at the Australian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton opens up about his Ferrari debut at the Australian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton admitted his Ferrari debut "went a lot worse" than he had expected after the seven-time world champion finished 10th in the Australian Grand Prix.

Following his blockbuster switch to Ferrari after 12 years with Mercedes, Hamilton endured a tough weekend in Melbourne as he qualified eighth before claiming the final point in Sunday's chaotic race.

The 40-year-old Brit was left frustrated at a missed opportunity as Ferrari pushed a strategy gamble too far, with a decision to stay out on slick tyres in the rain first putting Hamilton in podium contention before leaving him fighting for a points finish.

"It was very tricky and went a lot worse than I thought it would go," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. "The car was really, really hard to drive today.

"For me, I'm just grateful I kept it out of the wall because that's where it wanted to go most of the time. A lot to take from it and just getting acclimatised with the new power unit in the wet conditions.”

"The settings it requires are different, and a different way of driving and a different set-up on the steering wheel."