Lewis Hamilton labelled his Ferrari debut ‘a lot worse than he thought it would be’. The seven-time world champion picked up a solitary point for his troubles in a rain-affected Australian Grand Prix.

The legendary Brit struggled to make inroads on seventh-placed Alex Albon during the first half of the race and his frustration was evident in his voice as he went back and forth with new race engineer Riccardo Adami.

Hamilton briefly took the lead of the race late on when Ferrari gambled by staying out on slick tyres during a brief downpour, but an ensuing safety car forced the Prancing Horse’s strategists to bring in both drivers.

At the chequered flag, Hamilton had dropped to 10th on the road after Oscar Piastri launched into a breathtaking final-lap pass at Turn 11.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Hamilton said: “It was very tricky and went a lot worse than I thought it would go. The car was really, really hard to drive today. For me, I’m just grateful I kept it out of the wall because that’s where it wanted to go most of the time.

“A lot to take from it and just getting acclimatised with the new power unit in the wet conditions. The settings it requires are different, and a different way of driving and a different set-up on the steering wheel.

“I hung out as long as I could, got in the lead at one point. Just the guidance with how much more rain was coming, was missing there, so I think we missed out.”

For Ferrari, the season opener was a messy operation. Hamilton’s team-mate, Charles Leclerc, also struggled en route to a P8 finish. He spun while battling Yuki Tsunoda on slick tyres, losing positions in the process.

The Italian constructor ended the weekend with fewer points than Williams and Sauber after strong results for Alex Albon and Nico Hulkenberg at the Albert Park Circuit.