Breaking: Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari under FIA Investigation following…read more

Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari under FIA Investigation following…read more

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has revealed that Ferrari will carry out a detailed review of its strategy decisions during the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after a crucial call during the race potentially cost the team a stronger result.

The opening round of the championship saw Ferrari running competitively near the front of the field. Both Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc were battling for the lead alongside the Mercedes driven by George Russell during the early stages of the race.

However, the complexion of the race changed on Lap 11 when Isack Hadjar suffered an engine failure in his Red Bull car. The stranded vehicle forced race control to deploy a Virtual Safety Car (VSC), allowing marshals to safely recover the stopped machine.

During that period, Mercedes reacted quickly. Russell and teammate Kimi Antonelli both headed into the pit lane to take advantage of the reduced time loss that comes with pitting under VSC conditions.

Ferrari, however, opted to keep both Hamilton and Leclerc out on track. By staying out, the two Ferrari drivers inherited the lead of the race while their rivals completed their pit stops. At the time, the move appeared to give the Scuderia a potential strategic advantage.

The race later produced another opportunity when a second Virtual Safety Car was deployed following a stoppage for Valtteri Bottas, whose Cadillac came to a halt on track. Once again, Ferrari chose not to bring either of its drivers into the pits.

That decision ultimately proved costly. Because they had not completed their mandatory pit stops during either VSC period, both Ferrari drivers were forced to make their stops under full racing conditions later in the race. This meant they lost more time compared to their Mercedes rivals.

As a result, Hamilton and Leclerc dropped down the order after their pit stops were completed. By the time the race concluded, the Mercedes pair had secured the advantage, with Ferrari finishing behind them.

Despite the outcome, Hamilton remained relatively calm when discussing the situation after the race. The British driver acknowledged that Ferrari may not have had the outright pace to beat Mercedes regardless of the strategy decision.

Speaking to reporters after the race, Hamilton said that finishing third and fourth was still a respectable result for the team given the circumstances. He emphasized that Mercedes appeared to have the faster package on the day.

However, Hamilton admitted that the team would still analyse the situation carefully. According to him, Ferrari will review the race data to determine whether pitting under one of the Virtual Safety Car periods might have produced a better result.

Hamilton also revealed that he personally questioned the decision during the race when he noticed both Mercedes cars diving into the pit lane.

From his perspective, bringing at least one Ferrari into the pits at that moment might have allowed the team to cover the strategy used by Mercedes and potentially protect their position in the race.

While the final result delivered solid points for Ferrari at the start of the season, Hamilton made it clear that the team would examine every detail of the race strategy as they look to improve in the upcoming rounds of the championship.