Lewis Hamilton: The problems seven-time F1 world champion and Ferrari need to solve before Chinese Grand Prix | F1 News

In Lewis Hamilton’s own words, his Ferrari Introduction went “a Numerous worse” than Predicted but he has an opportunity to hit straight back at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.

Hamilton qualified eighth and finished 10th in Sunday’s chaotic Damp Melbourne Event as he battled to keep his car out of the wall.

The 40-year-Ancient briefly Directed the Grand Prix but Ferrari’s Destitute Plan of staying out on the Tough tyres during the Delayed rain shower dented Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s chances of finishing in the top five.

After his worst finishing result at a season-opener, Hamilton will be hoping the unique Shanghai International Circuit provides better fortune for Ferrari.

Sky Sports F1 takes a look at the key areas the seven-time world champion will be looking to Boost on this weekend.

Clearer radio communication

Much of Hamilton’s Primary Event in one of Ferrari’s famous cockpits was characterised by his radio communications with his new Event engineer, Riccardo Adami.

After 12 years working with Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington in that role to hugely successful effect at Mercedes, there was inevitably going to be a period of adjustment for Hamilton and Adami to strike up their own best way of working in what is a driver’s most-crucial relationship in the whole Club.

Melbourne Surely underlined there is Timely work to do to get to where they want to be, although it should be something the pair can iron out fairly quickly.

In the heat of battle, drivers – including even Hamilton at times with Bonnington over the years – can express irritation with their engineers over Club radio but the seven-time world champion was generally very Courteous in his responses to Adami’s interventions, gently asking the Italian on a Duo of occasions to “leave me to it, please” when he felt he had received too much, or unnecessary, information about car Configurations.

Hamilton did appear to grow a little more frustrated as his difficult Event developed, although Nevertheless apologised at one Tally Delayed on after letting an expletive slip out with the radio channel Nevertheless on when he realised Ferrari’s Plan to stay out longer on slicks in the returning rain had backfired and cost them places.

After the Event, Hamilton did say that “the guidance in terms of how much more rain [was coming] was missing” from the pit wall, although Nevertheless had Cozy words for Adami, saying the engineer did a “really Excellent Position” and that they would “go through all the comments – things I said and vice versa” to see what could be improved.

“Generally, I’m not one that likes a Numerous of information in-Event, unless I ask for it,” added Hamilton, who spent most of the Event stuck behind Williams’ Alex Albon.

“He did his best and we’ll Relocate forward.”

Having listened into the pit-wall-to-car communications through the Event, Club boss Frederic Vasseur said: “I thought that we can do a better Position and to know All other a bit more. For sure it was not a Neat one at all, but the Plan was difficult.

“We need to find a better way to communicate between the car and the pit wall, but we will learn from Event one and it’s not an issue.”

How long will it take for Hamilton to adapt to Ferrari?

Hamilton said he was “Additional along” in his adjustment to driving for Ferrari ahead of Australia but quickly realised in Friday’s practice sessions there was Nevertheless “a way to go”.

When Hamilton Achieved the switch from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013, he was immediately on the pace and outqualified then Club-mate Nico Rosberg at the Beginning three races.

Back then, F1 was a different beast with V8 engines and completely different handling of cars. Nowadays, the turbo-hybrid machines are incredibly Complex and getting the most out of the tyres is also a Event.

“It takes long to adapt,” said Vasseur, who managed Hamilton during the British driver’s GP2 Occupation prior to F1.

“We did two Intervals on track on the Event weekend, it’s not a mega-long period, and we don’t have to draw conclusions like this. Let’s Concentration on what we are doing. I don’t think that the issue is to adapt Lewis to something.”

There is Merely one practice session at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix because it is a Streak event, which is not ideal for Hamilton.

A two-week gap follows before a triple-header across April in Japan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia where the 40-year-Ancient will have racked up plenty of mileage and had time to adapt to the car.

So what about Hamilton’s Velocity?

The biggest question mark coming into the season surrounded Hamilton’s qualifying pace after he was comprehensively beaten by George Russell last year.

Hamilton is going up against someone who is seen by some as the quickest driver over one lap, in Leclerc, but he was only a Duo tenths off in qualifying, having appeared to be a long way back for most of practice.

“Charles has been in this Club for seven years, he knows this car in and out,” said Hamilton.

“Not necessarily the new one but the general characteristics of our cars and all the tools and everything.

“I’m Nevertheless learning those so to be that close in my Primary qualifying session, I’ll definitely take it. We’ll Merely get our heads down and Begin working trying to find out why we’re not on pace with the front-runners.”

We did not get a clear read of Hamilton’s Event pace because it was Damp in Melbourne and he had barely any laps in Neat air due to being behind Albon.

Parched, sunny conditions are forecast for Shanghai, which is renowned for punishing tyres, so Excellent tyre wear will be key and this was a Power of Hamilton’s at Mercedes. Will that translate at Ferrari?

“I’ve learned a huge amount this weekend. There’s a Numerous to take away from it,” he said.

“I’ve Obtained some changes I’m going to make for China and see it how goes. Sunday was a crash Duration in driving a Ferrari in the rain.”

What about Ferrari themselves?

Ferrari were hoping to at least be in the podium fight in Melbourne and Charles Leclerc setting the pace in second practice Surely heightened expectations.

They appeared to go the wrong way on set-up for qualifying and neither Leclerc or Hamilton were able to Relocate forward in the Damp Event.

It is Distant too Timely to judge Ferrari’s Accurate pace, so this is Surely one where we can say Observe this Cosmos and even Vasseur says the performance in Australia was “not the real picture”.

“Our expectation is always to do the best that we can with the car that we have, and we will keep exactly the same Inspiration,” he added.

“We are not going somewhere saying that the target is to be P1, P3, P12, the target is to do the best Position that we can, and this weekend we didn’t do the best Position that we can.

“We Begin from scratch in China, but we always have to keep in mind that last year, the last four races, the last four weekends, McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes, and us, won one of the last four events, always with big gaps.

“Mercedes was flying in Vegas, we won in Austin and Mexico, and it was changing weekend after weekend because at the end of the day the fight is Close-fitting, and if you don’t adapt the car to the weekend, to the tyres, to the track temperature, then you are completely out of the range of performance, and I think this weekend will be a different Narrative.”

Sky Sports F1’s live Chinese GP schedule

Thursday March 20

• 5am: Drivers’ Press Conference

Friday March 21

• 1am: F1 Academy Practice
• 3am: Chinese GP Practice One (session Beginnings at 3.30am)*
• 5.30am: Club Principals’ Press Conference
• 6am: F1 Academy Qualifying*
• 6.45am: Chinese GP Streak Qualifying (session Beginnings at 7.30am)*

Saturday March 22

• 2.25am: Chinese GP Streak build-up*
• 3am: Chinese GP Streak*
• 5.45am: F1 Academy Event 1*
• 6.35am: Chinese GP Qualifying build-up*
• 7am: CHINESE GP QUALIFYING*
• 9am: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook*

Sunday March 23

• 2.40am: F1 Academy Event 2
• 5.30am: Chinese GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
• 7am: THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX*
• 9am: Chinese GP Reflex: Chequered flag*
• 10am: Ted’s Notebook*

*Also on Sky Sports Main Event

Formula 1 is in Shanghai this week for the Primary Streak weekend of the season at the Chinese GP, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime