Verstappen. One of the best and most dominant drivers Formula One has ever seen. After four world drivers championships at Red Bull, Max Verstappen has fallen to McLaren’s Lando Norris in Australia. For the first time in over 1029 days, Max’s championship lead is no more. The 2025 Australian Grand Prix has come, and the first race of the F1 season has revealed many headlines. Here were the main events…
No Mercy from Australia’s wrath:
This opening race for Formula One’s 2025 season proved to be one of the hardest to race in. The race itself took 6 drivers down with the harsh downpour. Thankfully no injuries were reported from these crashes. Overall, the race proved to be that of skill and strategy over the car’s power. Many teams turned to strategy, which proved a vital factor for Mercedes who perfectly timed the rain to switch to hard tires. This decision gave Mercedes a 3rd and 4th finish in the race with drivers George Russel and Kimi Antonelli. Even with the conditions, drivers like Max Verstappen seemed to feel comfortable under the pressure, ending up on the podium in 2nd. Yet it can’t be denied that this season opener was pure chaos.
McLaren is in sights of both Championships:
With a dominant win over the Constructors championship a year earlier, they continue their hopes as they’ve tied with Mercedes at 27 points. Although both drivers struggled in the hostile conditions from the Australian weather, they managed to survive the carnage seen on the track. Lando pulled off the win as he held the reigning champion, Max, to only second place. This came with struggles seen by both McLaren’s drivers skidding off the track. These struggles were proven true with the hometown hero, Oscar Piastri, was seen to struggle heavily against the conditions. Piastri would end in 9th place with a late comeback after these struggles. Regardless of the sight seen in the Grand Prix, the pair continue to be the golden boys of their team under Team Principal Zac Brown.
Ferrari’s disappointing performance:
Since signing 7 time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, the hype for a Ferrari championship was at an all time high. However, Scuderia still yearns for its dominance once again after another disappointing start. With qualifying leaving the team in the middle standing at positions 7 and 8, the faint look of disappointment wasn’t far off. Both Hamilton and long lasting driver Charles Leclerc seemed underwhelming. But what really solidified the disaster came from the team’s decision to stay out while everyone switched for hard tires. Fans witnessed both Ferraris in desperate need to keep up while struggling to escape their positions to be able to compete. Hamilton especially struggled as he continued to learn the ropes of his car as the race progressed. Leclerc ended in 8th while Hamilton escaped with points at 10th. Truly the Dallas Cowboys of Formula One.
Sergio Perez never left:
After Red Bull parted ways with the Mexican driver, It became apparent that they were going for the constructors. Yet in a stunning twist, Red Bull decided not to pick a driver from their sister team Visa Cash App RB. Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda seemed to be the front runner for the primary team, this wasn’t the case. Red Bull chose VCARB’s replacement for Daniel Riccardo, Liam Lawson. The young driver showed promise halfway through the season last year once replacing Riccardo. He seemed a good fit for his future teammate Max Verstappen, who usually gets heated when his teammates challenge him. Even with this new signing, the ghost of Perez has plagued the team at Melbourne. Lawson struggled, he himself landed at 18 position post qualifying. Once the race started, Lawson channeled his inner Sergio Perez and performed horribly for his starting race on the track. Even with the performance, he never finished the race. Lawson crashed as he lost control of the car in slick tires as rain droppings hit the circuit. His performance should raise concerns for the team going on. Was it nerves, the weather, or skill that was the factor in the result? Fans will have to see at the next race in China.
Williams on the rise?:
Williams for the past few decades has been at the bottom of the grid. This seemed to change once former Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz, signed with the historic British team. Even with the major signing, it seemed to be another failing season for Williams, until everyone saw the car. The FW47 is showing promise to bring back the team to greatness as driver Alex Albon ended in 5th. Sainz on the other hand left the race early as he crashed into a barrier. Although a disappointing start in his Williams career, the Williams team Is becoming a black horse in this season if they keep these performances up.
Overall this first race is only the start of the chaos this season it’s shaping up to be. Will McLaren finally have a world champion driver in Lando Norris? Will Ferrari continue their path of failure? Will Lawson become another Sergio Perez or a true great driver for Max? And will Williams become a competitor for either championship? Only time will tell as this Formula One season goes on.
