McLaren Locks Out Front Row – Can They Win the Race? 2025 Australian Grand Prix

The Formula 1® Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix 2025 is ALREADY serving us shock results and intense battles... and we haven’t even reached the race yet! 😳

McLaren has locked out the front row, Red Bull is playing catch-up, Ferrari is struggling, and the weather forecast could throw EVERYTHING into ✨️chaos✨️

It goes without saying, this season opener at Albert Park Circuit is shaping up to be one of THE most unpredictable in literal YEARS

Let’s break down Free Practice 3, Qualifying, and what we can expect for race day 🤔👇

Free Practice 3: Oscar Piastri OWNED his Home Track

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri sent Melbourne into a ✨️frenzy✨️ by topping FP3, showing coo coo craaazy pace ahead of Qualifying.

👉 Top 5 in FP3:

🥇 Piastri (McLaren) – 1:15.921

🥈 Russell (Mercedes) +0.039s

🥉 Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.081s

4️⃣ Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.127s

5️⃣ Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.213s

McLaren and Mercedes were riiiiiight up there with Red Bull, hinting that this season is way more competitive than the last 👁👁

Qualifying: McLaren 1-2, Verstappen P3, Ferrari Struggles

McLaren ✨️slayed✨️ by securing their first front-row lockout of the season...

Qualifying went like this...

2025 Australian Grand Prix – Full Qualifying Results

🥇 P1 – Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1:15.096

🥈 P2 – Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.084s

🥉 P3 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.385s

4️⃣ George Russell (Mercedes) +0.450s

5️⃣ Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) +0.574s

6️⃣ Alex Albon (Williams) +0.641s

7️⃣ Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.659s

8️⃣ Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.877s

9️⃣ Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +0.884s

🔟 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +0.966s

Q2 Eliminations 🫣

1️⃣1️⃣ Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)

1️⃣2️⃣ Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

1️⃣3️⃣ Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

1️⃣4️⃣ Jack Doohan (Alpine)

1️⃣5️⃣ Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)

Q1 Eliminations 😳

1️⃣6️⃣ Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

1️⃣7️⃣ Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber)

1️⃣8️⃣ Liam Lawson (Red Bull Racing)

1️⃣9️⃣ Esteban Ocon (Haas)

2️⃣0️⃣ Oliver Bearman (Haas) – No Time Set 🥺

What are the BEST starting positions on the Grid? 🤔

🏆 Pole Position (P1)

This is defs the ✨️dream✨️ spot. With clean air, control into Turn 1, and first dibs on strategy. This is where you wanna be tbh.

🥈 P2

Ngl, P2 is almost as good as pole!

A strong slipstream down to Turn 1 means you can challenge for the lead ✨️instantly✨️, if you have a fast start.

Top 6 (P1 - P6)

Here is a sweet spot on the grid.

It's good enough to fight for the podium without getting stuck in midfield chaos.

P7 - P12 (Midfield Battles)

Here, it's risky but exciting...

If you survive Lap 1 without damage, strategy and pace can move you up. It's about playing the long game here.

P13 - P20 (The Underdogs)

These drivers have a tough fight ahead this weekend, but a safety car or wet weather can turn things upside down and if they're slick with it, they can take advantage of any chaos that (very well might) find it's way in the race 👀

Race Day Forecast: Rain Could Shake Things Up 🫣⛈️

Weather in Melbourne is NOTORIOUS for unpredictability, and the latest forecast suggests rain could hit during the race 😶 🌧️

So, what happens if it rains?

👉 DRS will be disabled, meaning overtakes will be harder.

👉 Tire strategy becomes CRITICAL. The right pit stop at the right time could win the race...

👉 More crashes & safety cars – Albert Park in the wet is a completely different beast 😅

2025 Australian Grand Prix Predictions

🧡 Can McLaren Convert This Into a Win?

They’ve dominated so far, but can they hold off Verstappen in race conditions? The first few laps will be ESSENTIAL. If they can keep the lead, they could control the pace 👀

🦁 Verstappen WILL attack

Don’t let P3 fool you, guys.

Max Verstappen is ALWAYS a threat. The Dutch Lion will not go down without a fight, that's for sure.

If he gets a good start or Red Bull nails their strategy, he could still take the win 😏

❤️ Ferrari (really) NEEDS a comeback

Leclerc and Hamilton starting P7 & P8 is not ideal...

If it’s a dry race, they need to go aggressive on strategy, no doubt about it. But they have seemed fast this weekend and I'm hopeful for them.

🫣 Midfield Madness?

With Tsunoda (P5) and Albon (P6) punching above their weight, the midfield could get wild, especially if we get safety cars or rain 👀

All-in-all...

The 2025 Australian Grand Prix is Set to Be EPIC

The Formula 1® Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix 2025 is already delivering one of the most unpredictable season openers in years.

😶 McLaren is flying—can they win?

😶 Red Bull is vulnerable—can Verstappen fight back?

😶 Rain could turn everything upside down.

Race day is going to be absolutely UNMISSABLE

Who do YOU think will win? 🤔

Will McLaren yoink the first win of the sseason r is Verstappen about to remind everyone why he’s the reigning champ? Maybe this year IS Charles' year? 👀

Drop your predictions below! 👇🥰