Frustrating start for Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari at F1 Australian Grand Prix

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Lewis Hamilton’s relationship with his new Ferrari team was pressure tested in Australia, where he finished a disappointing 10th on debut, and was frustrated by a bad strategy Sunday that cost him a potential victory, and constant radio chatter throughout the difficult race won by McLaren's Lando Norris.

Hamilton started eighth, and spent the first third of it behind the rear wing of Williams’ Alex Albon. But, while the seven-time world champion hit the lead on lap 46 after those ahead pitted for fresh intermediate tires, Hamilton angrily stated over team radio that “we missed a big opportunity” after subsequent traffic and a late stop dropped him back to ninth.

Dropping a further place to tenth after Oscar Piastri overtook the Brit in the final lap did little to lighten Hamilton's mood.

“The rain always mixes things up and strategy comes down to timing and a bit of luck,” the 40-year-old said. “We took a gamble and made up places, but then boxing too late for Inters (intermediate tires) cost us, dropping us to the back of the top 10 with too much ground to recover.”

Hamilton also had trouble keeping his Ferrari in a straight line, showing just how much the Prancing Horse has to do to claw back its pace.

“I struggled with the balance, but it was an important race for learning more about the car and in different weather conditions, as well as gaining more experience working with a new team,” Hamilton said.

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Williams driver Alexander Albon of Thailand leads Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain during the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park, in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Heath McKinley )

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park, in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, right, of Monaco and teammate Lewis Hamilton of Britain compete during the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park, in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Scott Barbour)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car out of pit lane after tire change during the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park, in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Tracey Nearmy/Pool Photo via AP)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park, in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Ordnance from Syria's 13-year conflict exploded in the coastal city of Latakia, collapsing a building and killing more than a dozen people, the Syrian Civil Defense said Sunday.

The paramedic group known as the White Helmets said it worked overnight, searching through debris and recovered 16 bodies, including five women and five children, and that 18 others were injured. The group and residents said the explosion occurred in a metal scrap storage space on the ground floor of the four-story building.

Elsewhere, the Syrian Defense Ministry late Sunday accused the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group of crossing the Lebanon-Syria border and killing three Syrian soldiers. Hezbollah denied any involvement in the killing that took place near northeastern Lebanon, where clashes between Syrian forces and Lebanese clans happened last month.

Local Lebanese media have reported Syrian shelling on the northeastern Lebanese border town of Al-Qasr.

“The Defense Ministry will take all the necessary measures after this dangerous escalation from the Hezbollah militia,” a statement from the ministry read.

The United Nations said in February that about a hundred have been killed from exploding ordnance during the last 13 years, adding that since the ouster of Bashar Assad in December, over 1,400 unexploded devices across Syria have been safely disposed of and 138 minefields and contaminated areas identified in Idleb, Aleppo, Hama, Deir-ez-Zor and Lattakia.

Latakia, a key port city, and Syria's coastal province recently witnessed a surge in violence, after gunmen loyal to Assad ambushed a security patrol. While the government's counter-offensive, alongside allied factions, crushed the insurgency, it led to widespread destruction and numerous cases of retaliatory attacks against members of the Alawite community, which the Assad family is part of.

The clashes and revenge killings led to the deaths of more than 1,000 people.

In this photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, members of their team search through the debris of a four-story building after an ordnance from Syria's 13-conflict exploded in the coastal city of Latakia, Syria, early Sunday, March 16, 2025. 2025. The White Helmets said it worked overnight and recovered 16 bodies. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP)