Race Debrief: 2025 Australian Grand Prix
- Nicole Nolte
- Mar 16
- 6 min read
The 2025 Formula 1 season kicked off this weekend in Melbourne, and if this race is anything to go by, we are in for a seriously coo coo CRAAAZY year 😳
McLaren came in fast, and they left on top...
But this wasn’t some dominant lights-to-flag race. No no no.
This was a war of survival.
(Yes I'm dramatic but let me be 😹)
We had rain, safety cars, pit stop blunders, underdog performances, and some serious title implications ALREADY forming.
At the heart of it, we had Lando Norris holding off Max Verstappen in a tense final stint to take his first victory of the season.
Let’s break down everything that went down at Albert Park, because WOW.
Just wow.
McLaren ended 2024 in strong form, and if anyone thought that momentum wouldn't carry over, well, they were wrong 😅
(I was one of them, but in my defence I run on RB fan hopium 😔)
Lando Norris took pole position in qualifying, with Oscar Piastri locking out the front row.
A Papaya party, amirite ladies 🤭🧡
Behind them? 👀
tu tu tu tu 🦁
... Max Verstappen in P3, ready to ✨️pounce✨️
Then we had Mercedes duo George Russell (P4) and rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli (P16) hoping to make up ground.
We had Lewis Hamilton in his first Ferrari start, lining up P8 next to his new team mate, Charles Leclerc.
Williams was looking surprisingly quick this weekend, with both Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon starting in the top 10. A slay on their part if you ask me 😌
And then, of course, the weather forecast looked unpredictable, which always means ✨️chaos✨️ at Albert Park.
Hadjar’s Heartbreaking Debut
It’s every rookie’s nightmare—crashing before the race even starts.
That’s exactly what happened to Isack Hadjar...
On the formation lap, he lost control and hit the barriers, damaging his Racing Bulls car beyond repair.
Can we get an F in chat 😔
He was out before the lights even went out 👀
Visibly devastated, he was consoled by none other than Anthony Hamilton (Lewis’ dad), who gave him words of encouragement. It was soooo sweet and made my heart smile 🥹
A tough debut, but a great moment of sportsmanship in the paddock, and it's just the beginning for Hadjar, I hope he's not too hard on himself after this
Lights Out – Lap 1 Chaos Ferrari's Early Trouble
The lights went out, and McLaren held their ground 💪
Norris led into Turn 1, with Piastri keeping Verstappen behind—for now 👀
Meanwhile, a lil further back, absolute MADNESS unfolded...
Jack Doohan’s home race lasted about 30 seconds.
Yeahhhh...
Twas a tough day to be a rookie.
Caught in midfield mayhem, he got clipped, spun, and was out before Lap 2.
A brutal end for the Aussie in front of his home crowd. But no doubt he'll bounce back!
Carlos Sainz’s William sliiiiightly longer, but not by much tbh.
A messy start and a lil oopsie during the safety car forced him to retire early—leaving Williams' hope resting on Albono...
And then, the rain arrived ⛈️
The Rain Arrives—And Ferrari Gets It Wrong (Again)
Lap 20.
This is when things got real...
The first drizzle started to fall.
And then, the REAL mind games started.
Who pits?
Who stays out?
How bad will the rain get?
🚨 Ferrari made their call—and got it completely wrong (in typical Ferrari fashion 🫣)
Both Leclerc and Hamilton pitted for intermediates early, expecting the track to get fully wet.
Spoiler alert: It didn’t.
The drizzle lasted about five minutes, the track stayed mostly dry, and suddenly, Ferrari was on the wrong tire with no rain in sight. AND they'd dropped places by pitting.
An absolute disaster.
Meanwhile, McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes played it cool and stayed out on slicks. By the time Ferrari realized their mistake, they had lost wayyyyyy too much track position.
Ferrari podium potential? Gone.
Alonso’s Race Ends in a Spin at the Aussie GP
Fernando Alonso’s Australian Grand Prix ended with a crash on lap 34 after he lost control at Turn 6 and hit the wall at Turn 7.
The culprit was some pesky gravel on the track that caught him off guard.
At the time, he was running P10, but the crash brought out a safety car, shaking up strategies.
Alonso wasn’t happy about the gravel situation but stayed positive, saying Aston Martin had good pace for future races.
Not the way he wanted to finish, but at least the speed was there!
I think we can still expect to see some cool things this year from Alonso 😌
Piastri Spins, Albon & Antonelli Steal the Show
Just as Ferrari’s day was crumbling, another huge moment struck.
🚨 Lap 44 – Piastri SPINS! 🥴
McLaren’s home hero lost control in the wet, spinning off the track and dropping to P15.
It was a pretty gutting moment because he had been almost guaranteed for a podium in his home race (up to that point)
BUT we've gotta give him credit where credit is due, he fought back HARD, recovering to P9. But it could have been so much more, so I can imagine he's a lil disappointed.
But knowing how insanely talented Osc is, and how RAPID that McLaren is looking, this won't be his only shot at a podium (or a win) this year...
Meanwhile, two unexpected names were absolutely thriving...
Alex Albon was FLYING in that Williams, crossing the line P5 (before being bumped to P4).
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, in his first F1 race, put in an incredible drive, too
🚨 Butttttt then came the drama—Antonelli was handed a five-second penalty for an unsafe pit release 😳
For a moment, it looked like his P4 finish was lost… until Mercedes appealed and won.
New footage from the roll hoop camera proved he wasn’t at fault, and his P4 was reinstated.
Not bad for an 18-year-old in his first-ever Grand Prix 😉
The Final Battle – Norris vs Verstappen
This part had me on the edge of my seat tbh...
With the rain easing up, it all came down to one final battle:
Lando Norris vs Max Verstappen.
Max pushed hard, closing the gap in the final laps, but Norris never made even a tiny mistake to give Max room to overtake.
He managed the gap, controlled the race, and crossed the line first.
And that's how Lando Norris won the Australian Grand Prix in 2025.
Max came soooooo close though.
Full Race Results – Who Finished Where?
🥇 Lando Norris (McLaren) – Perfectly managed drive, championship intent.
🥈 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – Pushed hard, but couldn't catch Norris.
🥉 George Russell (Mercedes) – Kept it clean, solid podium.
4️⃣ Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – Rookie debut, serious talent.
5️⃣ Alex Albon (Williams) – WILLIAMS IN P5! Unreal.
6️⃣ Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – Steady points haul for Aston. Is the Newey effect in action? 👀
7️⃣ Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber)
8️⃣ Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – Would’ve been a podium if not for strategy mistakes
9️⃣ Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
🔟 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
Championship Standings After Race 1
Drivers' Championship
1️⃣ Lando Norris – 25 points
2️⃣ Max Verstappen – 18 points
3️⃣ George Russell – 15 points
Constructors' Championship
1️⃣ McLaren-Mercedes – 34 points
2️⃣ Mercedes – 27 points
3️⃣ Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT – 18 points
What. A. Start to 2025!
McLaren is RAPID.
Red Bull has a fight on their hands.
Mercedes looks solid.
Williams might have a few surprises in store for us this season.
Ferrari... needs to stop Ferrari-ing 👀
Next Stop: The 2025 Chinese Grand Prix 🇨🇳
After the chaos in Melbourne, F1 heads to Shanghai International Circuit for Round 2—and it’s a Sprint Weekend!
That means even more action with a short Saturday race setting the stage for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
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I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts on today's race! 👇😌
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