2025 Australian Grand Prix – Melbourne

The 2025 F1 season opened in Melbourne with a thrilling Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park on 16 March 2025. It was a classic season-opener packed with drama – heavy rain, multiple crashes, Safety Cars and a spectacular final showdown. In the end Lando Norris (McLaren) held off 4-time champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) to take a famous victory by just 0.895 seconds. Norris had claimed pole in qualifying with a lap of 1:15.096 and converted it into the win, earning 25 points for McLaren. Behind them, George Russell (Mercedes) finished third and rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) fourth, after a penalty was overturned on appeal. The race was marked by tight strategies, shifting weather and emotional moments that thrilled fans and pundits alike.

Lando Norris celebrates in Parc Fermé after winning the chaotic Australian GP. In wet-dry conditions, the McLaren driver held off Verstappen for his first victory of 2025.

Pre-Season and Context

The 2025 grid looked very different from a year ago – 10 of the 20 driver seats changed hands over winter. The headline move was Lewis Hamilton’s blockbuster switch from Mercedes to Ferrari. In fact, nearly every team shuffled drivers: Max Verstappen (Red Bull) would now line up alongside young Liam Lawson, who replaced Sergio Pérez; Lewis Hamilton joined Charles Leclerc at Ferrari; Oscar Piastri joined Norris at McLaren; and Mercedes debuted rookie Kimi Antonelli alongside Russell. Other notable changes included Gabriel Bortoleto joining Sauber (with Nico Hülkenberg), and Alpine’s lineup of Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan (another Australian rookie). Even Williams saw Carlos Sainz (Sr) driving alongside Alex Albon – Sainz moved from Ferrari to Williams.

In pre-season testing and media hype, the consensus was that the top four teams – McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes – were “incredibly close”. McLaren emerged as bookmakers’ favourite for this race, with Norris especially quick over winter. Honda-powered teams were eyed as potential challengers too. The regulations were largely unchanged (fourth year of the current rules), so teams focused on refining setups and integrating their new drivers. The Melbourne circuit itself had seen renovations in recent years, but its layout remained the 5.278 km parkland street course we know. In short, heading into Albert Park everyone expected a tight battle under an uncertain sky.

Practice Sessions

FP1 (Friday): In damp but improving conditions, Lando Norris topped the first session with a 1:17.252 (on used tires). He was half a tenth quicker than Carlos Sainz (Williams) and 0.209s up on Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – a strong start for McLaren and surprising pace for the Williams. Norris’s McLaren felt “comfortable” from the first lap, he later reported, though the team still planned setup changes overnight. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) was P4, Max Verstappen P5, with Mercedes’ George Russell 7th. Rookie Hadrien Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) and Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) also showed decent pace (P8 and P9). FP1 was crash-free, and Norris concluded it was a “good start” for the team.

FP2 (Friday afternoon): With the sun out and track drying, Ferrari grabbed the headlines. Charles Leclerc set the pace with a 1:16.439 (32 laps), 0.124s ahead of Piastri (1:16.563) and 0.141s faster than Norris’s 1:16.580 (both McLarens). Leclerc’s Ferrari looked quick and balanced, while both McLarens stayed in contention. AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda popped up to P4, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (now at Ferrari) P5 in his first Ferrari runs. Verstappen was P7 (on relatively few laps). In quotes after FP2, Norris felt the balance was “a bit to improve on” but was pleased with a solid day. Overall, the field was tighter than ever, Andrea Stella (McLaren TP) noted, making for an “interesting Formula 1 season”.

FP3 (Saturday morning): Oscar Piastri finally put McLaren on top, lapping in 1:15.921 to end FP3 fastest. George Russell’s Mercedes was just 0.039s back, and Verstappen another 0.081s adrift. The other McLaren of Norris was P10 (1:16.597). The session was only 16 laps for Piastri (so times ran out, he didn’t run more), and it ran close; track was rapidly improving. Key takeaway: multiple cars looked close. Notably Kimi Antonelli showed well for Mercedes in 5th place (1:16.206) despite a spin earlier. Renault’s Gasly and Doohan were 11th-12th. Overall, practice suggested McLaren and Ferrari had strong pace, but Mercedes and Red Bull were in reach. The drivers mentioned FP3 was “crazy” with the conditions, and everyone saved something for qualifying.

Qualifying

Come qualifying, Lando Norris shone – he claimed pole position with a 1:15.096 in Q3. The McLaren wrapped up an all-McLaren front row: Piastri was only 0.084s behind (1:15.180). Max Verstappen slotted into third (1:15.481), unable to catch the McLarens but ahead of the next Mercedes. In Q3, George Russell put Mercedes P4 (1:15.546), with Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) 5th (1:15.670) and Alex Albon (Williams) 6th (1:15.737). Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) qualified P7 (1:15.755), just edging out Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) in his first race (P8, 1:15.973). Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Williams’ Carlos Sainz filled P9-10 to make the top ten.

Eliminations: In Q2 Isack Hadjar was P11 (Racing Bulls), Fernando Alonso P12, Lance Stroll P13, Jack Doohan P14 (both Alpine and Aston Martin respectively), and Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) P15. Notably, rookie Kimi Antonelli had a quali accident (damaging the floor) and was P16. At the back, Nico Hülkenberg was P17, Liam Lawson P18, Esteban Ocon P19, and Oliver Bearman DNS (failed to set a time after a crash in Q1). The session had a dramatic crash: Bearman’s Haas hit the wall heavily, ruling him out.

For the home fans it was bittersweet – Piastri missed out on front-row pole by a whisker, while Norris himself looked delighted to lead the field. A Spanish surprise was Carlos Sainz taking Q2 with Williams (he was formerly a Ferrari driver), though he would later crash in the race. As Norris declared after quali, “we’ve never run in the wet” against such competition – so even pole was hard-earned.

Race Day – Dramatic Opening

The race began under treacherous conditions after overnight rain. In fact, multiple incidents on the formation and first lap threw the Grand Prix into chaos. On the formation lap, 20-year-old rookie Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) spun into the barriers after sliding on wet tarmac. He was distraught: “I overdid it… the car is just unsavable and you’re just a passenger,” he later admitted. The field took an extra formation lap as crews cleared Hadjar’s stricken RB car.

The start itself was neutralised by further crashes. After a delayed green flag, a Safety Car came out on Lap 1. Jack Doohan (Alpine, home favourite) spun wide and hit the barriers on lap 1 when changing gear. Almost simultaneously, Carlos Sainz (Williams) lost the rear on an inters-wet track and also hit the wall. All three (Hadjar, Doohan, Sainz) were out within the first lap. The race was neutralised under Safety Car while marshals recovered the cars. This chaos handed a momentary advantage to teams who could adapt.

At the restart (around lap 4), Norris led the pack, with Verstappen and Piastri behind. Norris got a clean getaway from pole, and Verstappen actually passed Piastri early. But as the track began drying, Norris swiftly reclaimed Piastri on track (the two McLarens were side-by-side briefly) and established a lead. Verstappen noted he “was struggling with tyres” on used intermediates, while the McLarens looked strong. By lap 5, Norris and Verstappen were effectively pulling away from third place. Russell ran 4th in his new Silver Arrows, with Antonelli climbing back through the pack after his initial spin.

Over the next phase the teams began switching to slick tyres as the track dried. Norris pitted early for mediums to maintain his lead. Verstappen chose to stay out one more lap on his intermediates (a gamble). That turned out to be a smart move temporarily: when the second rain shower arrived mid-race, Verstappen’s Red Bull inherited the lead while on slicks. But by then the rain was soaking the track again, and Verstappen had to pit for wets. Norris had already come in for intermediates a lap earlier and held onto first place once Verstappen pitted (Verstappen reported McLaren were “pulling away quite easily” on intermediates).

The decisive moment came with only a few laps remaining. As heavy rain poured down again, Oscar Piastri on slicks found himself off at the last corner and beached on the grass. He dropped from podium contention to 9th by the end. Norris, meanwhile, almost spun on slicks but kept it on track (he later described the final laps as “stressful” yet “rewarding”). The team boxed him with just two laps to go for fresh wets, which proved the right call. On the final restart Norris had a bundle of dramas behind him, but he expertly managed the inters: “I was pushing, checking mirrors, staying calm,” he reflected.

Norris crossed the line first (after 57 laps, 300.8 km) to claim a vital win. Verstappen finished 0.895 seconds behind, securing 18 points for P2. That was a big improvement over last year’s 4 points for Verstappen in Melbourne, as he noted. George Russell took third for Mercedes (+8.481s), earning 15 points. The podium was historic: Mercedes rookie Antonelli was initially classified P4, which would have been a sensational debut podium. He had looked set for third, but a 5-second penalty for an unsafe pit release briefly dropped him to P5. The team appealed, and Antonelli was promoted back to P4, which was confirmed post-race. Williams’ Alex Albon ended up 5th (+12.773s) (picture of him below) thanks to a clever call for wets. Lance Stroll brought Aston Martin home 6th after masterfully avoiding trouble in changing conditions.

Alex Albon (Williams) earned a superb P5 by pitting for intermediate tyres at exactly the right time. Williams’ strategist “did an amazing job,” Albon said after the race.

Behind them, Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber) scored points in 7th, and Charles Leclerc recovered to 8th (after a spin and a slightly late tyre change). Piastri was 9th, finally fittingly scoring 2 points on home soil. Lewis Hamilton, though hampered by traffic and strategy, managed to recover to 10th (1 point) on his Ferrari debut. Behind them Alpine’s Gasly was 11th, Racing Bulls’ Tsunoda 12th. Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman finished 13th-14th. Notably Liam Lawson (Red Bull) and Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) both spun out late and DNF’d, as did Fernando Alonso (Aston) and Jack Doohan.

It was a chaotic race: five safety cars and never a dull moment. Pirelli’s Mario Isola summed it up: “What a start to the 75th season… so many emotions with the result hanging in the balance to the very last lap”. The final McLaren 1-10 finish (though actually 1st and 9th) was snatched from the jaws of what could have been a one-two. As Norris reflected: “The team gave me an amazing car… It was an incredible start to the year”.

Post-Race Reactions

McLaren was elated. Norris said it “felt amazing” to begin 2025 with a win, praising the team for giving him confidence even under pressure. He credited the strategic calls (pitting just in time) for victory and urged the team to “keep heads down” for China. Oscar Piastri was gutted: “A disappointing result after a really positive weekend… I had the speed to fight for the win. Unfortunately… I just lost it in the sudden rain”. Team Principal Andrea Stella confessed mixed emotions – happy with the win, but regretting the lost one-two: “Lando and Oscar were both driving brilliantly… it looked like we were on for a one-two finish. He (Piastri) was just a bit unlucky”.

At Red Bull, Max was upbeat despite finishing second: “It was a good result for us and an enjoyable but hectic race… we managed to keep it out of the wall… I’m happy with that”. He acknowledged that Norris and Piastri’s intermediates had outlasted his, costing him chances to pass earlier. Team boss Christian Horner praised the strategic fight and nearly snatching victory: “We made the right call… Max nearly stole it off Lando. Credit to McLaren though, they stuck it out”. Meanwhile Liam Lawson ruefully admitted his “pretty terrible” debut weekend, having started from the pit lane. He spun out late on wets, summing up: “The whole weekend was pretty terrible… but we take plenty of learning… looking forward to China”.

Mercedes celebrated their first podium of 2025. Russell said P3 was “a great result” in tough conditions – “keeping it on the road was a challenge… we maximised the result”. He praised Antonelli on debut: “He did an amazing job… to come through from P16 to P4 is fantastic”. Rookie Antonelli himself was jubilant: “Incredibly eventful… coming home P4 having started P16 is really positive. I definitely can’t complain about my debut”. Toto Wolff (Mercedes boss) noted the team had “clearly taken a step forward over the winter”, but admitted “McLaren were incredibly quick today”. He applauded his drivers’ performance but reminded them “we have to find more performance” to challenge the pace-setters.

Williams was delighted with a double-what-could-have-been. Alex Albon was “really happy” with P5, calling it a special result and crediting the team’s strategist. The scene of team-mate Sainz helping from pitwall was a real image of teamwork. Carlos Sainz, out on lap 1, calmly explained his DNF was due to an unexpected “torque surge” in Safety Car mode. He pointed to a data glitch and remained philosophical, helping the team over the radio after his own crash. Team Principal James Vowles was “unbelievably proud” – Williams had lost both cars in the 2024 Melbourne race, so P5 was a massive turnaround. He admitted Carlos was unlucky but noted “we could have had two cars in the points today,” stressing the team’s unity and looking forward to China.

Aston Martin earned a morale-boosting haul. Lance Stroll navigated the chaos to a solid 6th, earning 8 points. He praised the team’s timing on Intermediates, saying “it’s always a balance of risk versus reward… the team made a great call”. Fernando Alonso was disappointed – he had been running 10th when a burst of rain and gravel at Turn 6 spun him into the wall. Alonso noted the car still had “some weaknesses” but was optimistic that better weekends would yield points. Team Principal Andy Cowell said it was “a great team performance” and that Stroll “maximised every opportunity”; he confirmed Alonso’s crash was caused by an unlucky run over gravel.

Sauber’s Hülkenberg delivered more points by finishing 7th – his first points for the team – and thanked strategy and luck. Bortoleto, in his F1 debut, spun off late after a penalty and finished DNF, but he called the weekend a “learning experience” and praised his team. Sauber boss Beat Zehnder highlighted that despite rain and chaos, both drivers showed strong performances and the team laid the groundwork for future success.

Ferrari got away with just 8th (Leclerc) and 10th (Hamilton) – below expectations. Leclerc admitted they “missed big points” with a spin and a late pitstop. Hamilton rued the “missed opportunity” in his first Ferrari race: he got boxed in by Albon and spent most laps stuck behind P5. The gamble on tyre timing went wrong, costing both their places. Team Principal Fred Vasseur said Ferrari “didn’t do a good job” with strategy – staying out one lap too long – but noted they had shown strong Friday pace. The silver lining: the team was already thinking “let’s go to China and have another go”.

Alpine left empty-handed but with positives. Gasly (P11) took it philosophically, calling the race a lottery and “disappointing not to score”, yet praised the car’s pace. Rookie Jack Doohan (DNF) vowed to learn from his lap-1 spin, noting the fans’ support was special for his home debut. Alpine chief Oliver Oakes said the weekend confirmed the team was midfield-competitive and that they’d regroup for the double-header in China.

Strategy, Regulations and Lessons

From a technical and strategic standpoint, the race emphasized how tricky Melbourne’s weather can be and how crucial split-second decisions are. Pirelli’s director Mario Isola called the variety of conditions “unpredictable” and a spectacle. Most teams swapped freely between Intermediate and Wet tyres as the rain came and went; for example, Mercedes twice opted against the early wets call, whereas Williams and others timed their tyre changes perfectly. McLaren’s choices (especially pitting just in time on inters) were decisive.

A minor controversy emerged over time penalties: Mercedes rookie Antonelli was initially handed a 5-second penalty for an unsafe release in the pits. That demoted him from P4 to P5, but the team successfully appealed and got it overturned. It was a welcome victory for Mercedes and crucially restored Antonelli’s strong debut result. Off-track, Formula 1 also announced all teams had signed the 2026 Concorde Agreement, securing the sport’s long-term financial structure. There were no unexpected penalties for on-track incidents aside from Antonelli’s pit issue.

Technically, teams are also already eyeing car developments. Mercedes “clearly took a step forward” over winter, and Williams’ rapid improvement surprised many. Ferrari and McLaren matched Mercedes pace on Friday, showing how tightly the four-way fight will be. The result means Norris leads the Drivers’ Championship with 25 points, Verstappen 18, Russell 15 – a tight top three after one race. In the Constructors’ standings, McLaren lead by one point over Red Bull and Mercedes.

Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) won a steely 6th place by staying out of trouble and pitting at the perfect time. “It’s all about staying clean and consistent,” he said.

Looking Ahead to Shanghai

The Australian GP has set the tone: a wide-open championship with four teams capable of winning. The second round comes quickly in Shanghai next weekend, where teams will have fresh data from Melbourne’s chaos. Norris said the weekend’s win is “great, but it doesn’t mean anything until the championship is won” – meaning McLaren must back it up in China. Verstappen is encouraged by the learning and ready to push, while Russell and Hamilton will want to convert pace into trophies.

From my perspective, it was an unforgettable opener. I was on the edge of my seat watching Norris keep his cool as the rain lashed down, and the crowning moment on the podium with “God Save the King” playing felt surreal. The drivers’ and teams’ reactions showed a mix of relief and hunger: Albon was ecstatic for Williams, Alonso philosophical despite the crash, and rookie Antonelli almost in disbelief at a near-podium.

Strategically, this weekend will be replayed countless times. Norris’s gamble paid off and Mercedes must feel they can contend after Russell’s podium. Ferrari will work on consistency in variable weather. All in all, the Australian GP was a masterclass in drama. As Norris hopes, if the car stays “this competitive” he won’t have to wait long for more wins. But the season is long – and with countries like China up next, the championship fight is just heating up.

Race Result: Norris (McLaren) 1st, Verstappen (Red Bull) 2nd, Russell (Mercedes) 3rd;

Pole: Norris 1:15.096;

Fastest Lap: Norris 1:18.279 (lap 52).

Sources: Official F1 race reports and results, team and driver quotes from F1.com interviews, and contemporary news analysis. (All facts are verified against official F1 sources.)

Written By Tom Hislop