Lewis Hamilton admits Australian GP disadvantage as weather forecast makes Brit nervous

Lewis Hamilton will start the Australian Grand Prix from eighth on the grid and faces the prospect of racing his new Ferrari machine for the first time on a wet Albert Park track

Lewis Hamilton has admitted he is expecting a "shock to the system" when he races a Ferrari for the first time on Sunday.

Despite traditionally thriving in unpredictable weather, the 40-year-old faces challenges starting from eighth in his debut race decked in Ferrari's iconic red. He will line up one spot behind team-mate Charles Leclerc, both Ferrari drivers having been significantly off the pace set by McLaren pole-sitter Lando Norris by 0.877 seconds in qualifying.

With heavy rain forecast and Melbourne's Albert Park potentially turning slick, wet weather specialist Hamilton would usually seize the moment to shine. But this time, he revealed his concerns about the predicted deluge - because he is still so unfamiliar with his new car.

He said: "I have never driven the car in the wet, and I don't know where the wet switch is. What settings am I going to have to use with this car? It is all different."

Norris delivered a stellar performance to snatch pole position for the Australian Grand Prix from team-mate Oscar Piastri. McLaren's front row lockout gives them the edge for the race, though third-placed Max Verstappen and George Russell in fourth will look to apply the pressure.

The Ferraris may be too far back to compete for victory, though. And Hamilton, who'll have just a handful of laps to familiarise himself with the damp conditions and his car's wet weather settings before racing, expressed his unease as he looked ahead to his maiden race with his new team.

He said: "When you qualify eighth you hope for it to be wet, but for me I have got three laps [going to the grid] to learn the car in the wet, and then I have got to go out and race. The rain has often been something I have enjoyed. Growing up in the UK, it has been a comfort zone for me.

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"But for the first time, I will be in an uncomfortable position because I have never driven this car in the wet. It will be a shock to the system when I get out there. I will be learning on the fly and giving it everything."

Hamilton qualified less than two tenths behind Leclerc, which he was pleased about given his unfamiliarity with Ferrari machinery. And it was closer than the Brit had been to his Monegasque team-mate for most of the weekend up to that point.

He added, "It has been a big learning curve. The car felt so much different than I have ever experienced here, and it has been a slower process to build confidence in the car. I thought I was further along than I was. I got to first practice on Friday, and I was like, 'Jeez I have still got a long way to go'."