Lewis Hamilton mentioned his first race for Ferrari was “an enormous crash course” after he completed tenth in a chaotic Australian Grand Prix.
The seven-time champion led the race briefly however an incorrect technique name as rain hit late within the race led to him dropping down the sector.
Hamilton mentioned: “It felt like I used to be within the deep, deep finish.”
The 40-year-old added that he “did not have any confidence within the automobile and was almost within the wall more often than not”.
McLaren’s Lando Norris received in Melbourne from Purple Bull’s Max Verstappen with Hamilton’s former Mercedes team-mate George Russell in third.
It was a chaotic begin to the season at Albert Park for a race that began moist, dried up and ended moist once more, and featured three security automobiles, an aborted begin and a sequence of crashes.
Hamilton, who had certified eighth, mentioned: “I am grateful I bought by it, got here out of it with a bit of little bit of one thing, no less than one level.
“Clearly I did not go off or spin. Missing tempo, for positive, however I do imagine the automobile has extra efficiency than we have been capable of extract this weekend.”
He mentioned that the staff left it too late to cease for treaded tyres when the rain got here with 13 laps to go – he stopped three laps after Norris and one after Verstappen.
Hamilton mentioned: “The final sector (of the lap), everybody was going off however I used to be managing to carry on, so I used to be simply passing individuals, and as soon as we bought to the beginning line, it was dry.
“So I used to be like: ‘That is high-quality for me, I’ve simply bought to carry this out, I’ve solely bought just a few laps to go.’
“However then it pelted down simply within the final two laps or one thing, it was coming down, and that is the second we in all probability ought to have are available.
“In that second, I used to be like, ‘oh my God, I am third’. I used to be main for a second. However I imply, yeah, I do not know if we have now anyplace close to the tempo because the McLarens had as we speak. However I do assume within the precise automobile, there’s much more efficiency, I simply do not assume we unlocked it this week.”
Group principal Frederic Vasseur admitted Ferrari had made the “incorrect determination” and they might evaluate the matter earlier than subsequent weekend’s second race of the season in China.
“It was the primary time we have now to speak between the pit wall and automobile, we will do a greater job, it was not a clear one in any respect.
“We must be taught so much for subsequent weekend and enhance the communication. And be taught what Lewis is anticipating from the communication. Let’s be taught from as we speak and be a lot better subsequent week.”
Ferrari had a tough weekend. Charles Leclerc, who made the identical technique selections, began a spot forward of the Briton and completed two locations in entrance after overtaking Hamilton on the remaining restart.
Vasseur mentioned he believed Ferrari had not optimised their automobile for the monitor at Albert Park and that their actual place within the discipline was proper behind McLaren, as they’d been as much as the ultimate a part of qualifying.
“The circumstances as we speak are usually not consultant of the efficiency,” Vasseur mentioned. “Friday to Q2 is extra consultant.
“As quickly as you overheat the tyres you might have an enormous drop. The actual image of the efficiency is extra what we noticed on Friday and Saturday however even then McLaren is one step forward.
“If you happen to do not adapt the automobile to the weekend to the tyres, to the monitor temp, you’re out of the vary of efficiency. Subsequent weekend will likely be a special one.”
