Ferrari’s Risk Backfires as Rain Wreaks Havoc in Melbourne

Ferrari and Mercedes gambled in Melbourne, but the unpredictable rain turned strategy into disaster, leaving Leclerc and Hamilton frustrated after a chaotic race.

Ferrari took a bold strategic gamble at the Australian Grand Prix—but it didn’t pay off. At one point, Lewis Hamilton even found himself leading the race.

Leclerc Frustrated After Rain-Induced Mistake

Charles Leclerc didn’t hide his frustration after the race. A costly mistake in wet conditions saw him lose valuable positions. The Ferrari driver also expressed his disappointment over being sent out on slick tires in heavy rain but stopped short of blaming his team.

“It could have been a better race if not for my mistake coming out of Turn 11,” Leclerc admitted. “A lot of drivers made errors, but that’s no excuse—I want to be better than the rest, and today, I wasn’t.”

He acknowledged that Ferrari should have anticipated the incoming rain: “We needed to react sooner when the cloud was approaching. Once I was past the final corner, it was already too late. I don’t blame anyone for that, but I do blame myself for my mistake—it cost us at least four positions, and that stings.”

Despite the setback, Leclerc managed to overtake Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly to finish eighth. However, he clarified that attacking his teammate wasn’t part of the plan:

“I was just trying to recover positions—I wasn’t necessarily aiming to pass Lewis. He defended the inside line, I braked, and he got stuck behind Pierre. That allowed me to release the brakes and go through.”

His move on Gasly was trickier: “It was a bit more intense because he made a mistake, but overtaking was tough today. There was only one dry racing line, and stepping off it was risky.”

Hamilton: ‘The Car Felt Like It Wanted to Hit the Wall’

Lewis Hamilton ended the race in 10th place after Mercedes also attempted a strategic gamble that could have worked—if the rain hadn’t intensified late in the race.

“I stayed out on slicks as long as I could during the downpour, and for a moment, I was leading. But we lacked information on how heavy the rain would get, so we miscalculated,” Hamilton explained.

He described the conditions as much worse than expected: “It was incredibly tricky out there, and the car was really tough to handle today. I’m just grateful I avoided crashing because, honestly, it felt like my car wanted to hit the wall most of the time.”

Looking ahead, Hamilton acknowledged there’s still a lot to adapt to:

“There’s plenty to learn, especially with the new engine in wet conditions. The setup is different, the driving approach changes, and even the steering settings require adjustment.”

A Race of What-Ifs

Both Ferrari and Mercedes took risks, but Melbourne’s unpredictable weather turned their gambles into missed opportunities. While Leclerc and Hamilton salvaged some points, they’ll be leaving Australia wondering what could have been.