Sandbagging among F1 rivals? Lewis Hamilton “closing gap” on Charles Leclerc

Lewis Hamilton has been defended for lagging behind Charles Leclerc and cutting a frustrated figure in practice for the F1 Australian Grand Prix.

Leclerc topped the timesheet in Australia on Friday, while Hamilton was fifth behind both McLarens and Yuki Tsunoda.

Martin Brundle also noted that Hamilton kept his crash helmet on when he exited his car, wondering if it was a sign of annoyance at his performance.

“I’m starting to think more about it,” Sky Sports’ Naomi Schiff said about Hamilton wearing his helmet outside of the car.

“Looking around this paddock, there are a lot of people.

“It can be a driver’s defence mechanism to get through this paddock without stopping for selfies, to just keep their heads down.”

Read more: Long run data analysis establishes McLaren and Ferrari pecking order in Australia

Schiff also noted that Hamilton’s competitiveness gradually increased throughout Friday, his first F1 practice session since leaving Mercedes for Ferrari.

“Lewis seems to be closing the gap to Charles,” she said.

Schiff insisted that Hamilton drove more confidently in FP2: “Definitely. It felt more like the car was on rails. He’s building into it.

“There is a lot that goes into a weekend despite how much experience he has.

“There is still so much to take into consideration with a different team, and a new engineer.

“You don’t want to put the car in the wall, and that can happen around here.

“He is adapting to the car and the team, all at once.”

Sandbagging in F1 Australian GP practice?

The Ferraris, the McLarens and intriguingly the Racing Bulls were the six fastest cars in practice for the F1 Australian Grand Prix.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was seventh, his teammate Liam Lawson languished in 17th. Mercedes’ George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli were 10th and 16th respectively.

But Schiff insists that Friday’s pecking order could change on Saturday.

“I don’t know how much we can read into the performances just yet,” she insisted.

“Ultimately, qualifying is where we’ll find out where everyone truly stands.

“[McLaren’s] long run pace was quicker. It’s not just about how easy it is to drive over a race distance. They also need to put a lap together in qualifying, and their car hasn’t proven that it’s the easiest.

“Ferrari are definitely a candidate. You can’t count many out yet.

It’s still early doors, the track will keep evolving, they are still dialling their cars in.

“They might all be keeping a little bit up their sleeves…

“There are so many teams in the top 10 and it’s so tight.”