3x F1 champion backs Lewis Hamilton's bid to emulate Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari

Sir Jackie Stewart has backed Lewis Hamilton to claim his first win for Ferrari on debut, matching the feat achieved by Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen on their debuts in the Scarlet Red car. The Scotsman also mentioned that while Hamilton's experience may help him in potentially wet conditions, a few other drivers may be 'more ambitious'.

Lewis Hamilton suffered a disappointing first qualifying session with Ferrari on Saturday, finishing 8th, two-tenths behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, who also starts in an underwhelming 7th place on the grid for tomorrow's race. While much more was expected from Ferrari in the inaugural race of the season, Sunday's potentially interchangeable conditions may yet open the door for the Italian team to salvage a good result after a poor qualifying.

3x world champion Jackie Stewart definitely thinks so, as he feels Hamilton could potentially grab a win due to his experience. However, he also mentioned that while Hamilton may be the most experienced driver out of the potential victory contenders, there are other drivers who are more ambitious at the moment. After mentioning that drivers have to stay out of trouble in the rain, he added:

"Lewis Hamilton is the most experienced of them. But on the other hand, the younger ones are more ambitious. And right now, that's showing up. So, I think it will be a good race. I think it will be a first-class race."

If Lewis Hamilton can claim victory in his first race for Ferrari, he would be emulating Kimi Raikkonen, who won on his Ferrari debut at Australia in 2007, and Fernando Alonso, who also claimed his first victory for the Italian team in his first attempt at Bahrain in 2010.

Even in wet conditions, it would be very difficult for Hamilton to come anywhere close to claiming a win, as the Briton is still acclimating himself to his new team, so much so that he even mentioned after qualifying that he does not even know the car's rain settings yet.

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Lewis Hamilton stays upbeat despite tough Ferrari debut in Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton duirng qualifying - Australian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton explained that despite an underwhelming result in qualifying, he has still enjoyed his time out on the track. The Briton explained that he has been delighted by all of his 'firsts' with Ferrari over the weekend.

Speaking to Sky Sports after qualifying, the 7x world champion explained that he was still upbeat after a tough day at the office, and recognised that he has a lot of work to do before understanding his new car completely. He said:

"I generally feel good. I had a really good time out there today. Everything has been a first this weekend. My first practice sessions with Ferrari, my first qualifying."

"It's been a lot of work to really adapt, this car is so much different here to what I've experienced in the past. But it's been interesting. I definitely didn't know that we'd be eight tenths off today, but there is a lot to dissect for sure." he added.

Ferrari ended their Saturday on a low, as Charles Leclerc finished in 7th, over six-tenths behind pole-sitter Lando Norris. Meanwhile, Hamilton finished two-tenths behind his teammate, as the pair locked out the fourth row on the grid for Sunday's race.