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F2 driver Joshua Duerksen paid a heartful tribute to Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton after the latter came over to shake his hand during the Australian Grand Prix weekend. It was a mixed first day for the British driver competing for the first time with his new team on track after he finished behind his new teammate Charles Leclerc by a substantial margin.
There were many eyeballs on the seven-time F1 world champion this weekend. It was an iconic moment in the sport's history as he took the track in the red car given the histories of both parties.
Hamilton has an unparalleled following off the track, including many young drivers who idolize him for his achievements. One such driver is the current AIX Racing driver Joshua Duerksen, who had the opportunity to shake hands with Lewis Hamilton in the paddock ahead of Saturday's qualifying.
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The Paraguayan-German driver shared the moment on his X account and penned a few words for the British driver, saying:
"Speechless! You inspire me and so many other drivers aspiring to get to F1! Thank you Lewis, my goal is to race against you anytime soon!"
Duerken was one of the standout drivers from the F2 series last year and is racing for a second year with AIX Racing and qualified P9 for the main race.
Lewis Hamilton analyzes his first Friday session with Ferrari
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton stated that he believed that the pole position was a bit out of reach but he will give his best shot to compete for the top spot in qualifying on Saturday at the Albert Park Circuit.
Speaking with F1.com, the 40-year-old ultimately had a gap of four-tenths to his teammate and reflected on his first Friday session, saying:
“P1 was a little bit messy. P2 was definitely starting to look a little bit better. Also, I’m still getting used to all of the setup changes. I don’t have them on a call like I used to have with Mercedes. Where I’d been there so long, I knew exactly all the setup changes, so I’m still working through understanding what tools we can use."
The former Mercedes driver added on his chances to get a pole position on debut for the Italian team:
“For me, I think it’s a little bit early as I just continue to get to learn the car, but never say never. I’ll still give it everything I’ve got tomorrow. I’m just not putting too much pressure on. I’m going to try to enjoy it. I’ve got some pace to find. I know where to find it. It’s just about going out there and doing it and just building.”
In the FP3 session ahead of the qualifying, Lewis Hamilton was off the pace to the rest of the grid, finishing P8 with over four and a half tenths to Oscar Piastri's P1 time.
