Lewis Hamilton positive on Ferrari pace: A lot of work to do to catch Mercedes but not impossible

March 8, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

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Lewis Hamilton has admitted that Ferrari still has a lot of work to do to catch up to Mercedes, but insisted that it is "not impossible".

Both Hamilton and his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc had incredibly strong starts to the Australian Grand Prix. The Monegasque driver took the lead from George Russell at the race start and the first handful of laps saw a strong battle between the two drivers. Hamilton was also in the mix, following closely behind after pulling himself from a seventh place start.

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When two separate incidents caused virtual safety cars, the Maranello outfit decided not to pit both Leclerc and Hamilton. While the seven-time champion questioned the decision at the time, he explained after the race that he would review it.

"I have to go back and have a look but I'm generally really proud of the team," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. "They have done an amazing job to get the car to where it is. Of course, we are not as fast as Mercedes and we have work to do, but we are right in the fight.

"It was a really fun race and it felt good for me. A couple more laps and I would have had Charles, so I had great pace. Lots of positives to take from today."

When asked if the Australian Grand Prix was a true representation of Ferrari's pace, he added: "All weekend I've been really strong. Qualifying didn't show the true pace. We had a few problems through qualifying which meant I was further back than I should have been.

"We went into today and none of us really knew what the true pace would be but I felt great from the get-go.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

"There's lots of positives but we have a lot of work to do to catch Mercedes but it's not impossible. I believe we can close the gap. It's not going to be easy, got a lot of work to do because it's quite significant, particularly on a single lap.

"We need to find out whether it's power, or battery power, but the cars are just as quick through the corners so we need to keep pushing."

Hamilton ultimately finished the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in fourth. Mercedes celebrated a 1-2 finish with George Russell taking the victory and Kimi Antonelli in second. Leclerc took the last spot on the podium in third.

Photos from Australian GP - Sunday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

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Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Zak Brown, McLaren

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Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

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Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

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Carlos Sainz, Williams

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

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Alexander Albon, Williams

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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Sam Brabham drives a Brabham BT-19 on track

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Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing, Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing

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Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing, Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

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Sam Brabham drives a Brabham BT-19 on track

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Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing

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Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

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Oscar Piastri, McLaren

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Oscar Piastri, McLaren

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Oscar Piastri, McLaren

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Oscar Piastri, McLaren

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Carlos Sainz, Williams

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Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing

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Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes

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George Russell, Mercedes

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

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Alexander Albon, Williams

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Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team, Carlos Sainz, Williams

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes

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Lando Norris, McLaren

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes

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Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes

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Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing

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Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing

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Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing

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Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing

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Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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George Russell, Mercedes

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George Russell, Mercedes

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George Russell, Mercedes

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Toto Wolff, Mercedes

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Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

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George Russell, Mercedes

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George Russell, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Mercedes

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George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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George Russell, Mercedes

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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George Russell, Mercedes

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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George Russell, Mercedes

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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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