Ferrari’s Risk Backfires as Rain Wreaks Havoc in Melbourne

Ferrari’s Strategy Gamble Fails in Melbourne

16/03/2025

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.

Ferrari’s Risk Backfires as Rain Wreaks Havoc in Melbourne Ferrari’s Risk Backfires as Rain Wreaks Havoc in Melbourne

Race Center
China Flag
Chinese GP
21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
Free Practice 1
21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
Sprint Qual
21 MAR 07:30 - 08:14
Sprint Race
22 MAR 03:00 - 04:00
Qualifying
22 MAR 07:00 - 08:00
Race
23 MAR 07:00 - 09:00

2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
Go toTop