Hamilton aims for debut Ferrari pole at Australian Grand Prix

Dominika Jordan
Mar 14, 2025, 07:29 AM ET

In an exciting twist for Formula 1 fans, Lewis Hamilton has set his sights on achieving his first pole position with Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix. Hamilton, who has an impressive 104 poles to his name already, has shown renewed enthusiasm in his debut season for the legendary Italian team.

Following Friday's practice sessions, Hamilton ranked fifth, trailing his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc by 0.420 seconds. Despite the gap, the seven-time champion remains optimistic. When asked about the possibility of securing a pole position for Ferrari, Hamilton hinted at his determination and resilience:

“For me, I think it’s a little bit early as I just continue to get to learn the car, but never say never,” Hamilton remarked. “I’ll still give it everything I’ve got tomorrow. I’m just not putting too much pressure on. I’m going to try to enjoy it. I’ve got some pace to find. I know where to find it. It’s just about going out there and doing it and just building.”

Hamilton is still acclimating to the Ferrari setup, having had only a day and a half of running in the new 2025 machine. Reflecting on the practice sessions, he said:

“P1 was a little bit messy. P2 was definitely starting to look a little bit better. Also, I’m still getting used to all of the setup changes. I don’t have them on call like I used to have with Mercedes. Where I’d been there so long, I knew exactly all the setup changes, so I’m still working through understanding what tools we can use, and it’s interesting you can see with Charles, he just knows because he’s been here for such a long time.”

This season promises a thrilling contest at the top with Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, and McLaren all contenders for victories, podiums, and pole positions. Following the practice sessions, Leclerc remained cautious yet hopeful:

“I want to be cautious; let’s wait and see,” Leclerc stated. “But it’s right to say that after a day like this, we are looking forward to tomorrow and we want to target pole position.”

Leclerc also addressed the competitive landscape, noting: “For now, it is too early to say. I don’t think we’ve seen the real pace of everybody yet and I think some teams might hide their game a bit more than others. But for sure, McLaren is up there. I think Red Bull might be struggling a little bit more for now, but you never know with them, and especially with Max, you can never rule them out. For sure, they will be in the fight. Mercedes look strong as well, so it is going to be a good fight, I’m sure.”

As the F1 circus gears up for what is sure to be an electrifying weekend in Australia, all eyes will be on Hamilton to see if he can pull off a remarkable debut pole for Ferrari. Stay tuned.