Hamilton slumps to 18th in Melbourne practice as changes backfire

Melbourne: Despondent seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton bemoaned one of the worst sessions for a long time after changes made to his Mercedes...

Melbourne: Despondent seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton bemoaned one of the "worst sessions for a long time" after changes made to his Mercedes backfired Friday in Melbourne.

The British star finished ninth in the first practice for the Australian Grand Prix, but slumped to 18th in the second session to be 1.5 seconds adrift of Ferrari pacesetter Charles Leclerc.

"I obviously don't feel great. We had one of the worst sessions I've probably had for a long time," said Hamilton, who is leaving at the end of the season to join Ferrari.

Mercedes changed his car's setup between FP1 and FP2 in a bid to improve the high-speed cornering problems and bouncing that dogged him in Saudi Arabia.

But Hamilton said it made matters worse.