Australian GP 2025 – Slip & Slide in Melbourne!
March 16, 2025
Quick Recap:
Lando Norris proves it: McLaren is a serious title contender in 2025. He takes victory in a chaotic rain-soaked race in Melbourne, where slippery white lines turned into the biggest enemy for most drivers. Only 14 cars saw the chequered flag – a dramatic season opener indeed!
🚥 Qualifying Highlights
- Pole Position: Lando Norris
- Top 4: Norris, Piastri, Verstappen & Russell
- Surprise: Williams strong – P6 & P10 for Albon and Sainz
- Disappointment: Lawson down in P18. How many more chances will Dr. Marko give him? 😉
🔥 Key Moments of the Race
The chaos started even before lights out. Rookie Isack Hadjar spun on the treacherous white lines of the Albert Park circuit during the formation lap – no race laps on debut, that’s rough. But to be fair: no shame in that. Those lines caught out plenty of others, too.
The start itself? Exactly what you’d expect from a wet race – absolute mayhem. Piastri lost his front-row spot to Verstappen right away, and further back, rookie Jack Doohan brought out the season’s first Safety Car. But even under Safety Car conditions, things didn’t calm down: Carlos Sainz, now at Williams, lost control on the slippery paint as well.
Credit to Sainz though – after the crash, he made himself useful on the Williams pit wall. Some say he helped strategize Albon’s strong P5 result over the radio. By lap seven, three drivers were already out.
As the track dried mid-race, things settled. Overtaking in Melbourne? Still tricky. But as the final laps approached, more rain hit and chaos resumed: Alonso, Lawson, and Bortoleto all crashed out before the finish.
Ferrari found themselves running 1-2 at one point – but only because they gambled by staying on slicks while others switched back to intermediates. That gamble didn’t pay off: Leclerc salvaged just P8, and Hamilton finished P10 in his first Ferrari race. How long will Lewis tolerate Ferrari’s strategic misfires? 🙂
Piastri’s home race also ended in a slide – despite a grassy off-track moment, he managed to bring it home in P9.
One major positive: Andrea Kimi Antonelli. From P16 to P4, keeping calm even after a 360-degree spin. Impressive pace and control in wild conditions.
⭐ Driver of the Day
Nico Hülkenberg
P7 for Sauber – who saw that coming? Sure, rain races have their own rules, but after a rough 2024 season with just 4 points total, Sauber already bagged 6 points after race one. Let’s hope they keep the momentum!
❌ Struggler of the Day
Isack Hadjar
Not because the mistake was unforgivable – plenty of greats have spun out before (just ask Verstappen, Hungary 2020). But to crash out during your debut formation lap? Ouch. At least Anthony Hamilton, Lewis’ dad, was there to offer some post-race support.
📊 Standings (Top 3)
- Lando Norris – 25 points
- Max Verstappen – 18 points
- George Russell – 15 points
🔜 What’s Next?
Next stop: China, March 23rd.
Good news for us in Central Europe: race start is 8 AM, so a bit more sleep this time.
Can Norris extend his lead, or will Verstappen strike back?
Fun Fact:
The Australian GP was almost always the season opener since 1996 – except for the years 2020 to 2024. First, the pandemic shuffled the calendar, and then for some reason, Bahrain kicked off four seasons in a row. Why? No idea…
F1Summary 
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