Hamilton slower than last year? 'I would put Mercedes ahead of Ferrari'

Sky Sports reporter Ted Kravitz sees Lewis Hamilton's former team Mercedes "ahead of the Ferraris" as Formula 1 gears up for the Australian Grand Prix.

The seven-time World Champion made the huge move from the German team to the Scuderia, with the move announced before the 2024 season got underway. Now, as teams and drivers prepare for the upcoming campaign, the 40-year-old is now donning the iconic scarlet race suit.

Many saw it as a move to chase a record-breaking eighth world title, but according to Kravitz, speaking on Sky Sports News, it may be his former team who have more pace to start the season: "That Mercedes is quick. I would put it behind the McLaren in terms of where they are on the grid, and maybe ahead of the Ferrari's early on."

Of course, the only bits of running from the 2025 challengers came during winter testing in Bahrain, a very loose indicator of what a team's pace may be compared to the final result at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. However, from those three days in the desert, Mercedes were able to show a bit more pace than expected, challenging the Ferrari on the timing sheets and in the data shown.

McLaren seem to be the team to beat around the Bahrain International Circuit during testing, and Kravitz believes that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could seal a 1-2 finish at the Albert Park Circuit to underline their 2025 credentials. But behind those two, where many expected to see Hamilton and his brand new team, it could be different.

"I would say that George Russell has got a great chance of being third. And watch out for Kimi Antonelli too. It's great to have an Italian back in Formula 1, but when all the attention is on the man who went from Mercedes to Ferrari, it might be an Italian driver not in a Ferrari who manages to get on the podium," concluded Kravitz.