Lewis Hamilton’s first race for Ferrari didn’t go as planned, with the seven-time world champion finishing 10th in a tricky, rain-affected Australian Grand Prix. Starting from eighth on the grid, he struggled to move forward, spending most of the race stuck in the lower points positions. It was a tough debut in the SF-25, with the 40-year-old finding the car difficult to handle and growing frustrated over the team radio.

Early in the race, Hamilton complained about the car’s behaviour. “Struggling with drivability, the car is snappy,” he told his engineer, Riccardo Adami.

Ferrari urged him to use extra power to overtake, but Hamilton wasn’t keen on constant instructions. “Leave me to it, please,” he responded when asked to activate the K1 mode. Even later, when the team reminded him again, he pushed back: “Yes I know, leave me to it please.”

The back-and-forth continued when the track started to dry and DRS was enabled. Ferrari gave him more advice on how to use it, but Hamilton wasn’t having it. “Please leave it. Yes, please leave it,” he said firmly.

“Learning my car as we go, mate. Just leave me to it with the DRS, it’s not an issue.” It was clear that the pair weren’t fully in sync yet, with Hamilton wanting less input while he figured things out for himself.

Then, a sudden downpour on Lap 44 shook up the race. While others pitted for intermediate tyres, Hamilton initially stayed out on slicks, as Ferrari had told him the rain wouldn’t be too heavy. It was a gamble that briefly put him in the lead, but as conditions got worse, he had no choice but to pit.

By the time he rejoined, he had dropped back to ninth. “Thought you said it wasn’t going to rain much? Missed a big opportunity there,” he said over the radio, clearly frustrated.

After the race, Hamilton defended Adami despite their tense conversations. “I think Riccardo did a really good job,” he said, quoted by RacingNews365.

“We’re learning about each other bit by bit. We just need to… after this we’ll download, we’ll go through all the comments. Things I said, and vice versa.”

He admitted he prefers less radio chatter, saying: “Generally, I’m not one that likes a lot of information in the race, unless I need it - I’ll ask for it. But he did his best today and we’ll move forwards.”

Criticism also followed from pundits like Martin Brundle and Karun Chandhok. Brundle questioned why Hamilton seemed “so angsty”, while Chandhok suggested Ferrari needed to improve their communication.