What next for Lewis Hamilton after 8th-place finish on Ferrari debut?

After 12 years and six championship trophies with Mercedes, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has decided to start a new path at the "ripe old age" of 40, formally beginning with the 2025 Australian Grand Prix.

Beneath this choice is the desire to pursue an eighth title and fulfil a long-time yearning to drive for Ferrari's "Prancing Horse," a legendary emblem he has loved since early years.

Both in respect of Hamilton's competitive energy and as a bet on Ferrari's comeback strategy, this move has spurred a frenzy of debate among worldwide fans and media.

By all accounts, Hamilton joining Ferrari is a "win-win" for both parties: 

• for him, it is the last chance to fulfil a historic breakthrough; 
• for Ferrari, the mix of the two-time runner-up (‘07, ‘21) with the team might end Mercedes's seven-year dominance in F1 and inspire Ferrari to be a "victory totem" in the hearts of fans.

Still, expectations and pressure abound. Hamilton's first qualifying performance has eroded public faith in this "dream partnership," and this piece aims to predict Ferrari's and the driver's immediate future.

Qualifying performance: The complex narrative behind eighth place

Hamilton qualified eighth in the first official qualifying race at the Albert Park circuit with a time of 1:15.973, 0.877 seconds behind pole sitter Lando Norris. This outcome fell neither entirely below the baseline nor met the highest standards of the outside world.

Teammate Charles Leclerc finished seventh, with barely 0.218 seconds ahead of Hamilton, stressing the minute variations in their adaptation to the new car.

Key data and details:

• Pole Position Battle: Norris topped the rankings with a solid 1:15.096, with the McLaren team on the front row, while Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Mercedes's George Russell came third and fourth, respectively.
• Hamilton's Struggles: He spun at Turn 11 in Q2 owing to oversteer and recovered to proceed to Q3, though it likely cost him a better grid spot.
• Tire Strategy: In Q1 Hamilton ran soft tyres before switching to medium in Q2. Some commentators believe this decision would help keep tyre alternatives intact for the race, but it might have compromised his performance in the final qualifying session.
• Public Reaction: Discussions on social media are polarised. Given that Hamilton only drove the Ferrari SF-23 sporadically during pre-season testing and the realSF-25 being a totally unknown machine, some fans think finishing eighth is already a "surprise." Others note that Hamilton's single-lap speed was still around 1 second behind Norris and that teammate Leclerc only led him by a little margin, implying Ferrari has problems with car tune or strategy.

Racing cars and adaptation: The leap from "Silver Arrow" to "Prancing Horse"

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur noted the SF-25 car, which Hamilton drove for the first time, was "completely different from the SF-23."

Ferrari came in second in the team standings with five wins last year, but the SF-25's aerodynamic design, power unit layout, and suspension system have all undergone a total makeover.

For Hamilton, this presents both a starting point for relearning and a challenge, as he conceded that the Ferrari car's weight distribution and steering feedback differ entirely from Mercedes's.

• Technical Difference and Adaptation Process: Power Unit and Handling Characteristics: While the Mercedes vehicles concentrate more on stability, he said the SF-25 had a "more aggressive" character and demanded a more aggressive driving approach.
• Tuning and Tool Dependence: Though he quipped in his interview that he is still getting familiar with the position of the switch button for the rain driving mode, Hamilton admitted to not yet completely understanding Ferrari's technological systems. This starting-from-scratch scenario is reminiscent of his "rookie period" when he signed with Mercedes in 2013.
• Team Collaboration Model: According to Hamilton, the engineering team of Ferrari prefers group decision-making over the individual leadership style he was used to at Mercedes. This cultural disparity could help to explain why he couldn't completely unleash the car's potential during the qualifying session.
• Comparison with Teammate and Team Feedback: Leclerc noted following the qualifying session that the SF-25 suffered with "tyre temperature management" during the Q3 phase, particularly in the last three corners, which stopped the lap time from being further shortened. Vasseur, on the other hand, sought to minimise the importance of a single qualifying race result, emphasising that "Hamilton's qualifying performance was close to expectations” by citing teammate Carlos Sainz's fast Ferrari adaptation in 2021 as evidence that time would bring improvements.

Team and competition: Ferrari's challenges and opportunities

Hamilton's eighth place highlighted Ferrari's two main concerns for Ferrari's 2025 campaign:

1. The Gap with Top Teams: The swift ascent of McLaren and Norris's pole position suggests that Ferrari may be lagging behind in terms of aerodynamics and straight-line performance. Strong competition was also seen by Red Bull and Mercedes; Williams Albion beat Ferrari with P6, but other midfield teams lagged.
2. Uncertainty in Internal Adjustments: Vasseur acknowledged that Hamilton and Leclerc's performance in Q3 suffered because the team misjudged tyre degradation forecasts for the Albert Park track.

Piastri's second-place mark and Norfolk's pole position indicate that McLaren's "revival" in the 2025 season is no longer just rhetoric. Reigning champion, Verstappen, on the other hand, did not secure pole position, but his consistency in practice sessions points to him still being a title favourite.

Vasseur underlined that the secret of the race is "long-distance performance." Hamilton has historically made strong comebacks after struggling in qualifying (such as from 14th to 1st place at the 2018 German Grand Prix), and Ferrari's car competitiveness in medium-to-low-speed corners may help him "catch up."

Race day and future outlook: Rain battle, team goals, and historical mission

March 16 will be the main racing day for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, and weather reports show possible rainy conditions.

For Hamilton, who has often shown god-like control in the rain—such as at the 2008 British GP and 2016 Monaco—this presents both a challenge and an opportunity.

Although Ferrari's SF-25 performance in wet circumstances is still unknown, Vasseur has stated the team has created an "aggressive strategy" for rainy days and believes Hamilton's driving brilliance will offset the qualifying disadvantage.

Long-term season and key milestones: Short-term goals

Hamilton needs to accumulate points in the early races, particularly in Saudi Arabia and Japan (where the track conditions more closely match his driving approach).

Ferrari intends to undertake major changes to the SF-25 over the 2025 season, and Hamilton's multi-season deal (until 2026) means the team must prove its competitiveness this year to further validate his faith.

Should Hamilton eventually take home the championship, he will exceed Michael Schumacher's eighth-title record and become the sole contender vying for the title of "greatest driver of all time."

Should Ferrari be able to make a comeback to the title contention, the glory of the "Red Devil" dynasty will once more be revived.

Conclusion: The beginning of a legend and an unfinished epic

Hamilton's eighth place is neither the last chapter of failure nor the beginning of success, but is more like a tense prologue. The Ferrari SF-25 still has potential, and Hamilton's adaption curve is still sharply rising.

For a man who is chasing history and an Italian team yearning for rebirth, the Melbourne qualifying session is just the beginning of an arduous journey, with the global F1 audience holding its breath to observe the future of "veterans and new machines."