Australian GP: Mercedes' Toto Wolff reflects on Lewis Hamilton's departure

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

MELBOURNE -- In the first Formula 1 race in 12 years without Lewis Hamilton in his car, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted that he occasionally forgot the seven-time world champion had left the team during the Australian Grand Prix.

Hamilton debuted with Ferrari in the season opener. Meanwhile, Mercedes started their new era on a high note. Hamilton's replacement, Italian up-and-comer Andrea Kimi Antontelli, finished fourth on his debut, with George Russell securing a podium finish in third place.

Post-race, Wolff confessed that at times he still found himself instinctively looking for Hamilton on the timing screens. "When I was looking at the screens at times, the way I looked at it is like we had three drivers, because I was looking at RUS, I was looking at ANT, and I was looking at HAM... and you realize HAM is actually with Ferrari and is not with us anymore," Wolff reflected.

"It's logical, you cannot just say he's gone and you don't care anymore. We very much care how he's doing, but obviously on track he's the competition and we need to beat the competition."

Hamilton's first outing with Ferrari was less stellar, as he finished 10th, securing the final point on offer in the race.

McLaren's Lando Norris won the race after taking pole position on Sunday, leading to early concerns from Russell that McLaren might already have an insurmountable advantage this season.

As the season unfolds, both Mercedes and Ferrari will be looking to fine-tune their strategies and build on their opening performances.

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