Mercedes boss shares his honest opinion on Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's disappointing qualifying positions

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said that the Ferrari in the hands of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc should have qualified higher than they did for the Australian Grand Prix. The pair locked out the fourth row on the grid amid a disappointing showing in qualifying at Albert Park.

The Ferrari drivers suffered a difficult time during qualifying in Melbourne for the first race of the 2025 season, with Charles Leclerc finishing 7th with a 1:15.755 seconds lap time and Lewis Hamilton over two-tenths slower in 8th. The latter also suffered a spin during the Q2 session, bringing out a brief yellow flag.

Expectations were high from the Italian team as many fans were expecting to see the team fighting at the top end during qualifying. Yuki Tsunoda in his Racing Bulls (5th) and Alex Albon in his Williams (6th), both outqualified the Ferrari pair, in what are traditionally considered midfield teams.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff felt that Ferrari will likely still be in the fight for a potential race win tomorrow, and also mentioned that they should have qualified higher, given the pace of their car.

"In the front you see how close it is. Between Verstappen, the two Ferraris who were not quick this time around but they are definitely there, there could be six cars that will put up a good fight."

"I think race pace we were all the same apart from maybe the McLaren that were a tiny bit further up. But I don't think this result is where they [Ferrari] really are, they should probably be a bit higher." he added.

It is a McLaren front-row lock out for Sunday's race, as Lando Norris grabbed pole position with a 1:15.096 seconds lap time, with teammate Oscar Piastri just 0.084 seconds behind in second. Max Verstappen rounded off the top three, but was almost four-tenths behind the pole sitter.

---

Lewis Hamilton shares his race expectations after poor qualifying result

Lewis Hamilton in his Ferrari during qualifying - Australian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton shared that his first race in a Ferrari on Sunday is going to be a 'challenge', as he reflected on the underwhelming qualifying result for the Italian team. The Briton mentioned that he will need to study his new car's rain settings before tomorrow's race, as wet conditions are forecast in Melbourne for tomorrow.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the qualifying sessions concluded, the 7x world champion shared that just like the qualifying, the race is also going to be a 'learning experience' for the 40-year-old.

"Tomorrow's going to be a challenge, I've never driven this car in the rain. I don't even know the rain settings so I've got to go and study that tonight and it'll be a learning experience again tomorrow." [via Sky Sports]

Lewis Hamilton also explained that he is slowly getting to grips with his new Ferrari, as he feels that it is a challenge because driving this car does not come naturally to him yet.

He had spent nine seasons working with the same team at Mercedes before joining Ferrari, and will look to settle as quickly as possible to his new surroundings.