Ferrari boss Vasseur has no doubts Hamilton will settle quickly

MELBOURNE - Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur backed Lewis Hamilton to get into his stride quickly at the Italian outfit after the Briton made a slow start in his first free practice sessions at the Australian Grand Prix on Friday.

Hamilton managed only the 12th fastest lap in the first session at Albert Park, more than half a second slower than teammate Charles Leclerc, who was third quickest.

Seven-times world champion Hamilton had the fifth quickest time in the second outing but was still 0.42 seconds behind Leclerc, who topped the timesheets.

Speaking between the sessions, Vasseur said his team did not expect Hamilton to be at the limit in his first runs.

Its not a matter of speed. The target is for him to know everybody at the team, discover the software, the process, the system, he told reporters.

I think Im really convinced that we have something very similar to Mercedes but at the end of the day perhaps not with the same name or the same way to use them. Its just a learning process.

Vasseur pointed to former Ferrari driver Carlos Sainzs win at the previous years race at Albert Park, two days after managing only the eighth fastest lap in the first free practice.

You cant draw a conclusion after a first session. I have absolutely no doubt that (Hamilton) will be able to perform and to perform soon, he said.

Hamiltons switch from Mercedes has raised hopes among Ferrari fans of a first F1 title since the team won the 2008 constructors crown.

The 40-year-old Briton said it was amazing to get to work in the car on Friday but it had performed differently to what he had experienced before.

The car doesn’t feel bad or anything, it just requires a different way of