Lewis Hamilton may be a seven-time world champion, but even the greats need answers. After a solid but unspectacular drive in Australia, the Mercedes-turned-Ferrari driver raised eyebrows — and questions — about potential differences between his car and that of teammate Charles Leclerc. And as I read his comments, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of déjà vu from previous team dynamics.
A tale of two cars?
At the Australian Grand Prix, Leclerc finished fourth while Hamilton came home seventh. Not a disaster — but the gap between the two teammates was enough to raise concern.
Hamilton noted that he was running similar settings to Leclerc, yet experiencing the car in a completely different way. That disconnect puzzled him. And honestly, I think any top driver would ask the same question in that situation.
Mechanical variations or driver adaptation?
Hamilton hinted at the possibility of small component differences or tolerances affecting car behavior. These kinds of subtle variances aren’t rare in Formula 1. Parts wear, components shift — and two cars that look identical might feel completely different on track.
Still, Hamilton is new at Ferrari. He acknowledged the challenge of adjusting to a new environment, new engineers, and a different technical language. I can relate — stepping into a high-level team mid-journey isn’t easy.
No official comment from Ferrari
So far, Ferrari hasn’t responded publicly to Hamilton’s concerns. But internally, the team will likely investigate his feedback thoroughly. Ensuring both drivers have full confidence in their machinery is essential — especially in a year where every tenth of a second matters.
And from what I’ve seen so far, Hamilton is asking fair, measured questions — not starting drama.