Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Former McLaren and Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya was full of praise for Lewis Hamilton after the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton was the best of the rest behind the drivers on the podium at the Australian Grand Prix after a strong start to the 2026 season.
Ferrari appeared to be the fourth-fastest car in qualifying, with Hamilton beaten by both Mercedes and McLaren drivers, as well as his teammate Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar.
Some standout performers in Melbourne 👀 Who was you Driver of the Day at the Australian GP?
However, by the end of the first chicane, the two Ferrari drivers were first and third, fighting George Russell for victory.
Hamilton’s radio communications sounded far clearer, and while Juan Pablo Montoya was left unimpressed with Ferrari’s strategy calls, he reserved special praise for the seven-time world champion after the race.
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family
Juan Pablo Montoya sees a new level of competitiveness in Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari
Montoya was speaking about Ferrari on F1’s official post-race show, and before moving on to the drivers, he talked about their baffling strategy call under the first virtual safety car.
He explained: “We always complained last year that Ferrari was never aggressive enough, and they always missed a strategy, and in my opinion, they did again.
“I think maybe they didn’t have a car to win, but they brought the fight to Mercedes. They got the start. They were holding position.
“I think Charles did an amazing job coming back to George over and over again, and he was looking really good.
“And then the safety car comes out, the virtual one, and it’s like everybody bought them. It’s like not again. It’s like, why?
Mercedes claim a one-two finish to start F1’s new era! Which driver stands out from the top 10 of the Australian Grand Prix?
Let us know in the comments below!
“At some point, there’s got to be somebody going, are we really the odd man out.
“We can’t have 10 smart teams and one missing, and in their mind, thinking everybody is getting it wrong.”
Montoya then spoke about both Ferrari drivers, and in particular Hamilton, and said: “Look at the pace against Charles, of course, he’s going to be happy!
“He came out of the pits seven seconds behind and finished within a second of him. When have we seen Lewis last year do that? Never!
“Charles had the upper hand all year long, and I think Lewis is comfortable in the car, and he’s starting to push the car, and he’s starting to get the results.”
READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory
Ferrari still have room to improve after impressive Australian Grand Prix weekend
It’s far too early to be drawing conclusions about the pecking order in the paddock, with the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix testing the drivers in a completely different way to Albert Park.
However, Ferrari’s race starts look incredible compared to their rivals, which gives them a slender advantage, particularly if their one-lap pace isn’t brilliant.
Race strategy is still an issue for Ferrari, but the fact that Hamilton is now able to keep up with Leclerc and match him for pace gives Fred Vasseur’s team more options than they had last year when the pair were typically separated by a few cars.
Hamilton will be desperate to secure his first Ferrari podium as quickly as possible to get that statistic off his back.
The signs in Australia suggest that he won’t have to wait much longer to be back up on a Formula 1 rostrum soon.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
