Australian GP: Norris Wins the First Race of 2025

Picture: AFP

The 2025 Australian GP took place at Albert Park in Melbourne, Victoria, delivering yet another thrilling race. Albert Park, famous for its high-speed corners, proved to be tricky for both veteran and rookie drivers. Practices and qualifying took place under sunny skies, but come race day, it was pouring rain. Despite the chaos, McLaren’s Lando Norris took pole position and converted it into a win. Kimi Antonelli and Alex Albon also had impressive performances, finishing 4th and 5th, respectively. While McLaren looked incredibly strong compared to the rest of the grid, Max Verstappen continued to be a challenge for them.

Qualifying: McLaren 1-2

McLaren emerged as the team to beat, securing a front-row lockout. Lando Norris claimed pole position, with hometown favorite Oscar Piastri lining up second. Max Verstappen started third, while his teammate Lawson had a disastrous session, failing to make it out of Q1 and starting 18th. Yuki Tsunoda from Racing Bulls made Horner question his decisions as he qualified 5th. Speaking of impressive performances, Williams looked like the team to beat among the midfield teams. Albon qualified 6th, and Sainz 10th. Hadjar was the best out of the six rookies on the grid and almost made it to Q3, securing 11th.

Race Start

With six rookies on the grid and rain looming, chaos was inevitable even before the race started. Isack Hadjar, who looked impressive throughout the weekend, crashed into the wall during the formation lap, ending his race before it even began. Once the race got underway, Doohan from Alpine, who is already under immense pressure from senior management, found the wall on lap 1, causing the safety car to come out. Last year’s Australian Grand Prix winner, Carlos Sainz, also fell victim to the conditions and crashed under the safety car.

McLaren vs. Verstappen

Picture: IMAGO

Verstappen managed to overtake Piastri before the safety car on lap 1, so the top three were NOR, VER & PIA. The Australian Grand Prix resumed on lap 8, and within 10 laps, they had built up quite a noticeable lead over the rest of the grid. By lap 17, Verstappen ran wide, allowing Piastri to reclaim second. As the race continued, it was clear that McLaren looked far more reliable than Red Bull, and Max was struggling with tire degradation. The McLaren drivers kept juggling fastest laps, while Max fell behind, having to manage his tires. As the Australian GP reached its midway point, the McLaren duo was separated by just half a second, while Verstappen trailed 16 seconds behind.

Strategy and Team Orders

Midway through the Australian Grand Prix, a team radio message from Piastri’s engineer advised him not to pressure Norris too much while clearing the backmarkers. A reasonable strategy call, but Piastri showed frustration as he had the pace to challenge for the lead in front of his home crowd. Shortly after that, both McLaren drivers went wide. Norris lost a few seconds, but unfortunately for Piastri, he lost about 20-30 seconds, along with his hope of winning the Australian GP.

Meanwhile, Hamilton’s communication with his engineer highlighted the ongoing adjustments he has to make. Hamilton’s frustration with strategy and communication grew as the race progressed, and it appears that strategy and team orders are still a weak point at Ferrari.

Survival Mode

The conditions at the Australian GP worsened, leading to crashes involving Alonso, Lawson, and Bortoleto in the later stages of the race. By lap 48, only 14 cars remained, and teams were struggling to determine which tires to use. The racing line was dry enough for slicks, yet more rain was forecasted. In the end, everyone opted for intermediates, and the final laps of the Australian GP came down to Verstappen trying to catch Norris. However, Lando managed to hold Max behind him and secure the win.

It is too early to draw definitive conclusions, especially given the weather conditions, but McLaren looked incredible today. Their main competitor, Red Bull, seemed to face the same issues as last year— their second driver underperformed, and the car wasn’t as competitive as McLaren’s. Despite Lawson’s unfortunate start, he showed signs of aggression on track and perhaps can break into the top five in China.

Team standings

1. McLaren – 27 pts
2. Mercedes – 27 pts
3. Red Bull – 18 pts
4. Williams – 10 pts
5. Aston Martin – 8 pts
6. Kick Sauber – 6 pts
7. Ferrari – 5 pts
8. Alpine – 0 pts
9. Racing Bulls – 0 pts
10. Haas – 0 pts