While it was a mixed bag on track for Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut, one act off it caused some concern.
The Brit made his competitive debut in Red in Australia and finished 12th and fifth in Friday free practice.
McLaren, considered by most to have the fastest car this season, were upset by Ferrari, but it was Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc who led the way with an impressive gap to the seven-time champion.
Given he’s in a brand new car, Hamilton was unsurprisingly a fair way off top spot in first practice, but it was his actions after that left Martin Brundle concerned.
Getting out of the car, the 40-year-old kept his new yellow helmet on as he wandered to the back of the garage, an act usually reserved for drivers who have just had an embarrassing crash.
Picking up on the equipment choice, legendary pundit Brundle said: “What alarmed me a little bit was that Lewis came out the back of the garage wearing his crash helmet.
“Which I never think is a good sign, having done that myself as well. I think he’ll be a little bit frustrated with that first session.
“He looked pretty good early on, but it depends if he had some issues, we’ll find out later.”
Giving his take after both sessions, Hamilton said: “It felt amazing to be in a Ferrari here.
“Honestly the car felt so much different to what I’ve ever experienced coming to this track, so it took a little bit of bedding in through FP1.
“FP2 was definitely better but just building, we’re slowly building and getting a little better bit by bit.”
Asked if it’s a good difference, he added: “Just different. The car doesn’t feel bad or anything, it just requires a different way of driving.
“Adjusting my driving style bit by bit, but I enjoyed driving.”
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur also gave his thoughts on his new driver’s debut in an attempt to allay any fears.
“It’s not that he has to be at the limit on one session, it’s not a matter of speed,” the Frenchman said.
“The target is to for him to know everybody into the team, to discover the software, the process, the system. I’m really convinced that we have something very similar to Mercedes, but at the end of the day, perhaps not with the same name or the same way to use them.
“It’s just a learning process. We did one or two test days with the TPC one month or two months ago. It was a good way to approach it, but nothing compared to the race weekend. You know that means that we have to go through and we have to do it. I’m not worried at all about this.
“You can’t draw a conclusion after the first session. I have absolutely no doubt he will be able to perform and perform soon. Last year, I think Carlos was P8 or P9 in free practice, and he won the race.”
