Each Formula 1 weekend we get to follow 20 storylines each one as intricate as the next to the backdrop of a team and a cast of supporting characters. The 2025 Australian Grand Prix was no different. We watched resilience shine through in the face of disappointment. We got to witness the joys of dreams fulfilled and the pains of watching it burn before your very eyes. There were moments of humanity, where a young man was comforted by his idol’s father. And intertwined through it all was the unpredictability of mother nature and the cold unfeeling precision of a machine crafted to perfection.
What is disappointment but hopes unmet.
If cars could be fueled by passion then the Scuderia would be unmatched. Alas, they are not. There appeared to be pace in the car on Friday, but that all disappeared come Saturday and was never to be seen again. In the media, Charles Leclerc mentioned the changes the team made were “the right thing” and sacrificing some of the pace was necessary. There was speculations as to what the need for the changes were, but no concrete answers were provided by the team. The lowly finishing positions of P8 and P10 puts them 7th in the constructor’s, only trailed by the non-scorers.
I know what we’re thinking: “Here we go again? All that pre-season hype for this? Why do I keep falling for it?”. Let’s take a step back, it’s the first race of the season and the car is drastically different from last year’s. It takes time to dial it in and the conditions were of no help. Was there a strategy mishap? Yes. Have we seen the real performance of the SF-25? I believe not. The team has a dream lineup and a belief that the car has a higher development ceiling, and I for one believe them. Let’s reserve judgment until we’ve had proper dry running and in the mean time choose hope.
Where there’s a will there’s a way
One of the most poignant moments in the race came at lap 44, as Oscar Piastri was hunting down his teammate for the win. The rain had just started falling again, and he follows his teammate off the road. While Lando is able to get back onto the tarmac, Oscar isn’t able to catch the car and it slides into a patch of grass.
We watched as the wheels spin on the wet grass, as cars trickle past, each a position lost. The timing towers flash a damning OUT, yet the wheels still spin and the Aussie at his home race is unyielding in the face of disappointment. He puts the car in reverse and after a few moments of slipping and sliding, the car gains purchase and he comes unstuck. The home crowd erupt in cheers; cause while it’s hard to watch someone knocked down, it’s inspiring to see how they get up. He fought to get back into the points with the same hunger that he fought for the glory of a home win, and that is commendable.
Into the deep end
The 2025 Australian Grand Prix saw Formula 1 welcome six new full time drivers to the grid. And what a race to start off your career. We lost Isack Hadjar, the highest placed rookie, to the formation lap. He appeared distraught, the cameras gathering like vultures. It was nice to see Anthony Hamilton consoling him, it was not nice to see cameras shoved in his face when he clearly did not want to be filmed.
Jack Doohan’s demise came soon after on lap one and much like the rest of Jack’s debut it was overshadowed. Carlos Sainz found the barrier under the safety car that followed Doohan’s crash and so Jack was out of the race and out of our minds. It was smooth sailings for a while after that, until the rain came down and we lost Bortoleto and Lawson almost simultaneously. That left us with Bearman, a lap down, and Antonelli running P5.
And what a debut for Antonelli, he was one of the only drivers to make moves in the race. Sure, starting P16 meant he had pace advantage over the cars around him. But to have the confidence to make passes in those treacherous conditions where experienced drivers like Fernando Alonso found the wall, shows us the level of talent he is. He eventually made his way up to P4 finishing less than 2 seconds off his teammate. While this was less than ideal conditions to make your debut, the cream rises to the top.
Liar Liar Pants on Fire
Come watch Formula 1 they said, It will be the closest season ever they said. That has never been further from the truth. Before the safety car that bunched the field back together, we were witnessing RB19 levels of dominance from McLaren. They were able to pull a 15 second gap in 30 laps to the nearest car. At certain points they were lapping over a full second faster than the entire field. I thought the 0.4 gap in qualifying was bad enough, I was not prepared for the gap in race pace.
Maybe the rain exacerbated things and the field is actually much closer. Or maybe the rain was a sort of equalizer and the gap is even worse. We won’t know until we get proper dry running. We might not even know in China since it’s a sprint weekend and that leaves the teams with not much time to dial in. But if last year taught us anything it’s that things can change quickly in Formula 1. So bring on the rest of the season!