Back Down Under: The Australian Grand Prix

It’s lights out and away we go, as Formula 1 officially returns for the 2025 season. Huge changes have been made since last year, as five new rookies have joined the grid, alongside Liam Lawson, who started his first full season in the series.

Papaya was back on top in the new year, as Lando Norris claimed his fifth career win down under. His win put him first in the standings for the world championship and earned crucial points for McLaren.

The British driver takes the trophy at the first race of the season in Australia. Courtesy of Sports.ndtv.com.

Ferrari, the famed Italian team, looks slightly different this year, with Lewis Hamilton parting ways with Mercedes after 12 seasons. He debuted in Australia with Ferrari, marking a huge moment in the sport’s history. 

As the weekend finally began, so did the chaos. Ollie Bearman had a streak of bad luck, crashing in Free Practices One and Three. Qualifying didn’t seem to go any better, as he wasn’t able to put in a lap time due to a gearbox issue.

Lawson’s debut in Red Bull was also a weekend to forget, as he ran wide at Turn 3, kicking him out of Q1. He qualified 18th on the grid as opposed to his teammate, who was at the front of the pack.

The former Constructors Champions were back on form for the new season, as McLaren managed a front-row lockout in qualifying. Norris clinched his tenth pole position of his Formula 1 career.

The race proved to be setting up for an interesting viewing experience, as Isack Hadjar spun out during the formation lap, forcing him out of the race before it even began. 

As the cars lined up on the track again and the lights went out, the action officially began. Norris had a brilliant start, keeping himself in the lead. His teammate wasn’t as lucky, as Max Verstappen managed to overtake Oscar Piastri, cutting off their 1-2 lead.

The opening lap of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix. Courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool/ Getty Images.

Jack Doohan had a rough start, crashing at Turn 6, prompting the first safety car. While everyone was focused on the chaos from the beginning, Carlos Sainz also crashed on Lap 2, colliding with the wall.

Norris managed to stay in the lead past the safety car period, but the track conditions were extremely risky, as more rain was expected during the race. 

There were many radio messages that added to the excitement during the race, including Hamilton having a few tense moments with his new race engineer. Seeing as he was with his former engineer Peter “Bono” Bonnington for many years, it’s no surprise that it will take some time to adjust.

It seemed as though “Papaya rules” was back for 2025, as the team told Piastri to hold position after passing Verstappen despite having a clear lead ahead of the rest of the drivers. However, they claimed the move was due to waiting for the track to dry more to not risk putting both cars in jeopardy.

It was crash central in Australia, as Fernando Alonso hit the wall on Lap 34, signaling yet another Safety Car. This made him the fourth driver out of the race.

The home race hero was extremely unlucky on Lap 35 when he slid off the track into the grass. He fought hard to get himself back on track so that he could finish the race, but his dreams of a podium finish were long gone.

Norris also slid off the racing line during the lap incident, allowing Verstappen to slip through, putting him in the lead.

To no one’s surprise, the Safety Car once again had to come out. Gabriel Bortoleto and Lawson both crashed in separate incidents, putting them out of the race. 

Verstappen’s lead didn’t last long, as Norris had perfect timing with his pit stop, placing him back in the front. 

It was an extremely tense battle in the final laps of the race, but ultimately Norris took the top step in Australia.

The other podium spots were granted to Verstappen and George Russell, putting up good points for their respective teams.

One rookie had a fantastic race: Kimi Antonelli, who finished in fourth place. With this placement, Mercedes ended up with both drivers scoring the highest position out of all ten teams.

Antonelli had the best rookie finish, gaining fourth place in the race. Courtesy of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Media Centre/Giacomo Crapanzano.

Alex Albon proved that Williams is not the team it was last year, claiming fifth place in Australia and gaining crucial points in the standings. While Albon deserves ample credit for his brilliant finish, Sainz also played a role despite his crash, giving important input about the rough conditions on track.

After an exciting first race, it’s clear that the 2025 season will be full of surprises and many possibilities for new records to be broken. 

Edited by Reese Dlabach