Hamilton reveals McLaren and Red Bull expectations for F1 title fight

Lewis Hamilton has outlined what he expects from Ferrari's F1 championship rivals once the 2025 season gets underway in Melbourne.

Not only will the Australian Grand Prix kick off the campaign, it will be the 40-year-old's first time racing for the famed Italian team.

All eyes have been on the seven-time F1 drivers' champion and the Maranello-based squad heading into the year, with how the combination fares being a highly-anticipated talking point.

Hamilton is chasing a record-breaking eighth title, whilst Ferrari is hoping to claim a first constructors' crown since 2008.

However, given the strength the British driver expects McLaren and Red Bull to have, achieving those goals will be easier said than done, even if the evidence of F1 pre-season testing should be taken with a "pinch of salt."

"McLaren did a great run, and I think also Max [Verstappen] did a decent one, even with the temperatures [on the final morning of testing]," Hamilton told media including RacingNews365.

"It's hard to know what fuel loads everyone is running, as we're all doing our own programmes, so you have to take everything with a pinch of salt.

"But they [McLaren] won the constructors' last year. We expect them to be one of the quickest, if not the quickest, as with Red Bull, who dominated for many, many years."

Hamilton 'still not a fan of F1 testing'

Whilst Ferrari remains one of the biggest unknowns after the three days of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, Hamilton is thankful for the testing of previous cars [TPC] programme the Scuderia enrolled him in to get better accustomed to his new team.

Nonetheless, the 105-time grand prix winner is eager to end the winter break and get racing in Albert Park.

"Still I'm not a fan of testing, but I've really enjoyed the testing that I've had this year," he explained. "I mean, I'm super grateful for the TPC testing that I got to do.

"If I only had this day and a half [of F1 pre-season testing], I definitely wouldn't be in the position I'm in now, in terms of how comfortable I feel with the car.

"There's still some ways to go, but at this point I'm just excited to get racing."