The Australian Grand Prix was an eventful season opener for Method 1, and the moist/dry/moist situations put drivers’ and engineers’ expertise to the take a look at. Let’s start with a transparent winner from Spherical 1:
The McLaren group celebrates
Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos
Solution to choose up the place you left off. Everybody anticipated McLaren to begin 2025 on the entrance, and the reigning world champion squad duly delivered with a one-two in qualifying, which actually ought to have been a one-two within the race however for Oscar Piastri’s off in Flip 12.
Lando Norris escaped an tour in the identical nook to ship a composed victory drive, withstanding late stress from Max Verstappen. However extra ominous is McLaren’s tempo benefit within the dry and the best way it was capable of each heat up the tyres higher than Crimson Bull but additionally make them last more, which is a uncommon however coveted mixture.
Piastri’s spin, which demoted him to ninth in the long run, saved the dreaded Australian podium curse intact, but it surely did not dampen enthusiasm for what must be McLaren’s yr. Its title defence is effectively and really up and operating.
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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Picture by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Photos
Ferrari regarded prefer it was going to be McLaren’s closest challenger this weekend, all the best way till Q2 in qualifying. However it misplaced tempo over one lap, battling overheating, and from their midfield beginning positions Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton did not actually appear like they had been going locations in the course of the race both.
Their fortunes may have modified had the Scuderia responded higher to the change in weather conditions. Mercedes and Williams timed their late cease to intermediates fantastically, however Ferrari left each automobiles out too lengthy in a raffle that, with the good thing about hindsight, was not solely the flawed name but additionally fairly dangerous to decide to with each automobiles reasonably than hedging one’s bets with a break up technique.
Ferrari does have a powerful automotive in there, but it surely must execute each its qualifying and races runs higher in China’s demanding dash weekend to use it. Hamilton did not have the best Ferrari debut however will want a bit time to gel with each the automotive and the group.
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Alex Albon, Williams
Picture by: Lubomir Asenov / Motorsport Photos
A lot was made from Alexander Albon going through a stiff problem by being joined by Carlos Sainz this yr. That may but be the case as soon as the Spaniard is totally up to the mark at his new employer, however Albon has had a really vivid begin to the yr in Melbourne, exhibiting nice tempo in qualifying to assert sixth on the grid.
The English-born Thai driver did not put a foot flawed in a difficult race both, and utilised Williams’ appropriate technique calls to remain up entrance and virtually contend for a podium. It’s encouraging for Williams to have a automotive that appeared well-rounded sufficient to be aggressive in powerful moist situations, and having 10 factors within the financial institution early on will present an enormous morale enhance.
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Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Crew crash
Picture by: Kym Illman – Getty Photos
Melbourne’s wet-weather chaos was a uncommon alternative for loads of groups to financial institution a variety of factors, see Williams and Sauber above, and Racing Bulls must be annoyed that it could not capitalise on the nice tempo the automotive had proven all weekend.
It seems as if Yuki Tsunoda has made one other step ahead this yr as RB’s de facto group chief, placing in excellent drives in qualifying and the race. However his factors bid got here undone with a pitstop for inters that got here too late, very like the Ferraris’.
Isack Hadjar’s F1 debut was as short-lived because it was heartbreaking, the teenager inconsolable after crashing out at Flip 1 of the formation lap. It was a brutal introduction to F1, however the Frenchman had been placing collectively a formidable weekend till that time, so he’ll simply must mud himself off and go once more in Shanghai.
There aren’t any ensures that Racing Bulls shall be as aggressive on different circuits because it was on the reasonably distinctive Albert Park format, so that is fairly merely an enormous missed alternative. No two methods about it.
Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber
Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos
At first, we had been simply going to incorporate Nico Hulkenberg right here, however the whole group deserves a point out for the opening race it has had following a dismal 2024. Having chased factors all season to lastly rating 4 within the penultimate race in Qatar, it has now already scored six proper off the bat.
The skilled Hulkenberg’s composed drive within the moist performed an enormous half, as did the squad’s impeccable technique the place others faltered. It’s actually an enormous elevate for the plagued Hinwil squad, that regarded unlikely after a mediocre qualifying session.
Though Gabriel Bortoleto crashed out, he was additionally reasonably spectacular along with his pace and perspective all weekend. The Brazilian rookie was assertive after being introduced with Helmut Marko’s ‘B-driver’ feedback. And reasonably than feeling nervous a couple of wet-weather debut, Bortoleto appeared to embrace the chance to complete out of Sauber’s typical place and speed up his studying.
Bortoleto, who was nursing a race-long brake difficulty, finally crashed out like a number of of his friends, however he’ll discover extra possibilities to impress this season if the automotive permits it.
Liam Lawson, Crimson Bull Racing
Picture by: Crimson Bull Content material Pool
It was a Crimson Bull debut to neglect for Liam Lawson. Within the dry his qualifying runs had been messy as he appeared to overdrive a bit to compensate his lack of FP3 operating with an engine difficulty, along with his one accomplished lap solely 18th quickest.
Ranging from the pitlane was a troublesome process, however as Antonelli proved, all was not misplaced in such a chaotic wet-dry-wet race. What was slightly bit alarming was the preliminary tempo on the inters, as Lawson was caught in no man’s land between the Saubers and the Haas automobiles.
Lawson’s precise crash within the race will be swept underneath the rug as he was ignored on slicks too lengthy, however the injury had lengthy been completed by then. The Melbourne weekend was a little bit of a catastrophe all-round, and whereas it sounds foolish to say after race certainly one of a 24-round season, he cannot afford too many repeats earlier than the ghosts of the previous beginning circling round Crimson Bull’s troublesome second seat.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Picture by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Photos
Individuals understandably questioned if younger Andrea Kimi Antonelli could be prepared for his grand F1 debut, however you do not find yourself in a Mercedes F1 automotive accidentally and the Italian phenom has already began exhibiting why he was fast-tracked to interchange Lewis Hamilton.
A small error in qualifying left him sixteenth on the grid for what was going to be his second-ever drive in a Method 1 automotive within the moist. It had all kinds of potential to go flawed, and certainly he was lucky to spin off the place he did with out clattering the limitations.
However his spin did not faze him and as a substitute he locked in to finish a outstanding rise from sixteenth to fourth, aided by impeccable technique by Mercedes for each himself and team-mate George Russell, who drove a composed race to 3rd and equally deserved to be on this class. Antonelli ended up being reinstated to fourth after an incorrect unsafe launch penalty, which meant Mercedes scored an enormous end result for the tempo it truly had.
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The end result has not solely offered an early vindication for Mercedes’ option to again Antonelli, however may additionally take off a few of the stress for the Italian himself. He’s the place he belongs.
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Crew
Picture by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Photos
Haas has been on the again foot all weekend with Oliver Bearman’s crash in FP1 costing him useful monitor time, whereas Esteban Ocon additionally misplaced a little bit of operating for minor points. One other off for Bearman in qualifying additional restricted his mileage, and in the long run Ocon and Bearman could not handle higher than a distant thirteenth and 14th.
However whereas a tidier weekend may have made issues a lot simpler for Haas, the larger difficulty is that the tempo simply would not appear to be there in the meanwhile, as Haas is the slowest group in the meanwhile. Will there be extra efficiency to unlock, each with the bottom automotive and early-season upgrades? You’d hope so, as a result of if there is not, 2025 could be a little bit of a dud for Ocon and Bearman.
Pictures from Australian GP – Race
On this article
Filip Cleeren
Method 1
Alex Albon
Liam Lawson
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Ferrari
Sauber
McLaren
Racing Bulls
Haas F1 Crew
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