Lewis Hamilton was left surprised by Mercedes’ strong pace during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton expressed surprise at Mercedes’ significant lead over the competition following qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix, where George Russell and Kimi Antonelli secured the front row. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar trailed in third, nearly eight-tenths slower than Russell. Hamilton had to settle for seventh place, a disappointing outcome for Ferrari. The superior performance of Mercedes’ power unit during pre-season testing raised suspicions among rivals due to a potential compression ratio advantage. Hamilton expressed concerns that the pace advantage might be related to this controversial issue but remains hopeful that Mercedes’ dominance is purely based on superior power. Nevertheless, he is prepared to push his team to make improvements, even if it means exploring similar avenues to maximize performance. Despite the possibility that Mercedes’ advantage could be short-lived if linked to compression ratios, Hamilton acknowledged that falling behind early in the season could have significant repercussions in terms of championship points.
