Lewis Hamilton’s memory failed him as he returned to Australia, but thankfully Carlos Sainz was there to lend a helping hand.
The Brit was sitting down for his first pre-race press conference as a Ferrari driver, and the man whose seat he pinched was right next to him.
Sainz, who was forced to jump down the grid to Williams, was in good spirits as there was clearly no bad blood over the exchange of cars.
However, he couldn’t resist one cheeky comment when the drivers were asked about their expectations of the season opener.
It’s widely expected by experts in the paddock that McLaren will be pace-setters this year, with Mercedes and Ferrari battling for second.
However, we won’t really have any idea of the pecking order until qualifying on Saturday, so when Hamilton was asked what he expects from his first race, Sainz was quick to joke.
“16th, you don’t know,” he said, before Hamilton gave an honest answer.
“I definitely hope to be in the top ten! I don’t remember where I finished here last time, I don’t think it was that great.”
The room was already chuckling before Sainz again butted in: “You didn’t win.”
Quickly realising what his rival was referring to, a laughing Hamilton responded: “I know, you won!
“What would I be happy with this weekend… I don’t have expectations. I just ultimately want to come away knowing that I’ve given it absolutely everything and I’ve excelled in the way that I know I can, that I felt comfortable in the car and just one foot in front of the other.
“I don’t know what that means in terms of results, we won’t know until tomorrow where we truly stand among the top teams but I’m hoping that we’re able to compete for the top five, so somewhere in that space.”
It’s no surprise that Hamilton forgot last year’s Australian Grand Prix, given that he didn’t finish it.
The event was race three rather than race one in 2024, and it was a perfect example of why Hamilton decided to leave his old team Mercedes.
The 40-year-old suffered a power unit failure on lap 15, and Mercedes were later left pointless when George Russell ended the race upside down after a controversial move from Fernando Alonso.
Sainz won the Grand Prix ahead of Charles Leclerc for a Ferrari one-two and the tone for the season was well established.
Hamilton had qualified 11th on the day and had been seventh and ninth in the previous two races.
He wouldn’t record a feature race podium until race ten in Barcelona, and despite winning two Grands Prix in the coming months, his decision to already pen his future was certainly looking justified.
The Italian squad finished almost 200 points ahead of Mercedes in the constructors’ championship and with Red Bull going backwards, Hamilton could well be fancying his chances of a record-breaking eighth world title this season.
