The first race of the season delivered so much excitement to the fans as well as three different safety car moments, in a race that had six drivers have DNFs. That number included four of the six rookies on the grid. Now, without further ado, here are some highlights from the first Grand Prix of 2025.
- Weather Upsets
- The race started with a wet track, which caused much commotion as soon as the cars started to move, something that we’ll talk about next. However, Lando, Oscar, and Max all got off the line cleanly, even as Max managed to pass Piastri. The rain was not done causing problems though, as it was the cause of all three safety cars, as well as some conflicts on the pit wall. During the second safety all but the two Haas cars went in for slicks; however, within a handful of laps class 3 rain was scheduled to come, causing most drivers to dive back into the pits for intermediates. Ferrari chose too stay out before pitting during the third safety car, which made them drop back places. All in all, the weather certainly played a key role in all the excitement during the race.
- A Chaotic Amount of Crashes
- Three drivers were out of the Australian Grand Prix before lap 3, and one of those was before the lights had even gone out. Isack Hadjar spun during the formation lap, which did cause an aborted start, and a second formation lap was underway 10 minutes later. But that was not all, as second rookie Jack Doohan crashed out, causing a safety car. In fact, the conditions were so slippery that the Williams of Carlos Sainz lost the rear of the car while behind the safety car, meaning he was also out of the race. The Grand Prix was finally able to get properly underway after lap 7, at least until Fernando Alonso caused a second safety car. After all the initial excitement, the race was more about tire strategy and overtakes rather than crashes until both Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto lost control and ran into the barriers, which meant a third safety car.
- Does the Aussie Curse Live On?
- There were two Australian drivers on the grid today for the race, and after Jack Doohan crashed, only one remained. Oscar Piastri raced an incredibly good race, and it was looking to be a second place finish for the Aussie before a run into the gravel caused him to spin into the grass. Luckily, the McLaren driver got going again and managed a points finish, however it remains that no Australian has stood on the podium during their home race since the Australian Grand Prix became part of the World Championship.
- Kimi Antonelli with a Strong Debut for Mercedes
- While most of the other rookies did not fare so well at Melbourne, Antonelli had a race that he will be pleased about after ending in fifth place due to a five-second time penalty for an unsafe release. Despite that, the Italian will certainly be proud of that result after being one of two rookies to actually finish this Grand Prix.
- Lando and Max, Fighting Again
- The fight for the win once again went to Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, a battle that went down to the final lap, but ultimately McLaren just had spectacular pace coming into the season. However, this race did showcase Verstappen’s talents as well, after seeing his rookie teammate crashing into the barriers and failing to finish the race. Red Bull didn’t seem to have a car worth noting coming into the weekend, yet Max somehow managed to pull it together to get on the second row to start, and finish in second place by the end of the Grand Prix. And Lando has also shown off his talents and made a stunning statement on track both about his and McLaren’s race pace.
