Haas boss Ayao Komatsu fears that the team’s surprising lack of pace at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix is not a “one-off”.

It was a wretched race weekend for the American outfit, which started with rookie Oliver Bearman crashing his VF-25 during the first practice session of 2025.

Haas finished 19th and 20th during FP1 and FP2 before going on to qualify in the same positions for the Grand Prix.

Starting from the pit lane, Bearman avoided the chaos in tricky wet-weather conditions and managed to keep his car on track to finish in 14th place on Sunday – the last of the classified competitors.

His team-mate, Esteban Ocon, finished just ahead of him after starting the race from 19th place.

After focusing on long-run pace and tyre management exploration during Bahrain pre-season testing, it was left unclear as to how Haas would compare performance-wise to the rest of the grid.

But after Friday, Komatsu revealed to Motorsport.com how he was left stunned by the Banbury-based squad’s lack of performance.

“I don’t think it’s a one-off,” he said.

“It was a big surprise, we weren’t expecting that whatsoever based on Bahrain testing.

“Bahrain testing wasn’t perfect, but we weren’t expecting it anywhere near as bad as Melbourne.

“In FP1, on a very fast lap when the car went out, I thought either something was broken or something is completely out of the ballpark.

“Then when we established, right, nothing’s broken, we’ve got a big issue.”

Haas expects high-speed corner issues to continue in 2025

The 49-year-old went on to explain how the team discovered the issue at hand and how it went about addressing its lack of performance.

”It was pretty clear the problem was in high speed, Turn 9, Turn 10,” Komatsu added.

”Then we just worked and worked to make those corners better with the expense of low speed.

”But even then, low-speed corners are okay, not great – but compared to the issue we had in Turns 9 and 10, it’s night and day.

”So then by Q1, we managed to get Turn 9 more or less respectable but Turn 10, still nowhere.

”We understand why, but with the issues we have, we cannot solve it for all corners, right?

”So I think at least we took [the] correct steps during the weekend.”

Komatsu confirmed that Haas would continue to find solutions this year instead of focusing on 2026 with the new regulations set to come into force.

He believes that the car’s problems were down to its interface with the ground at low ride heights.

However, the motorsport executive noted that Haas would have to endure challenges at several races due to the severity of the problems.

He added: ”I think that’s the best we could do with the Melbourne circuit characteristics, that our car’s weakness that we discovered in Melbourne and then characteristics of Turn 10 as a corner.

”The next point is to understand which part of the car we need to modify, or which part of the car has the sensitivity to solve this performance issue.

”So up to this point, we are reasonably clear.

”Then of course, next is, how are we going to find a solution?

Some of them can be reasonably short-term solutions, but some of them will be an iterative process, both in CFD and wind tunnel.

“So you’re not going to see a solution for some races – it’s pretty severe.”

READ MORE: How F1 Australian GP practice exposed Haas weaknesses

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McLaren‘s Lando Norris said Ferrari must have been “shocked” by its pace deficit in the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

Ferrari posed a genuine threat to McLaren throughout practice at the Albert Park Circuit with Charles Leclerc even topping FP2.

However, come the top-10 shootout in qualifying, any competitiveness Ferrari had towards McLaren evaporated as Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were resigned to the fourth row, seven-tenths adrift of the papaya front row lockout.

In the race, Ferrari’s fortunes didn’t improve and a lack of outright pace and strategy miscues saw the Scuderia duo finish eighth and 10th respectively.

Norris is adamant that McLaren won’t enjoy a similar advantage over Ferrari this weekend in China, expecting the Italian squad to have fared far better in Melbourne.

“The gap in qualifying surprised us a bit,” Norris said on Thursday.

“Our goal was to be on pole, and we expected to be quickest, but we also expected Ferrari to be a good chunk quicker than they were. 

“In the end, they were what—seven, eight tenths off? They’re not that far off by any means. 

“If you looked at FP1, FP2, FP3, their pace never looked that far behind. All of Ferrari’s race runs on Friday were a lot closer to us than anyone else. 

“In fact, I think Ferrari’s race pace on Friday was maybe even better than ours. So we were surprised. 

“I’m sure they seemed a bit shocked as well by why they were so far off in the race. 

“But it just shows how difficult it is to predict. One weekend, everything is going well, and the next, it can turn upside down.”

McLaren driver line-up an ‘advantage’ – Norris

Norris acknowledged that race by race and even stint by stint, things can change very quickly.

“You saw how quick Max was at the end of the race,” Norris exclaimed, citing the moment damp conditions played into the Red Bull driver’s hands.

“Even at the start, in the first five to seven laps, and then again in the last five to seven laps, Max was just as quick as us.”

However, when the conditions dried and managing tyre degradation became key, Norris highlighted that his and Oscar Piastri’s know-how proved to be a big advantage.

“But in that middle period of the race, when you have to understand the tyres and know how much to push, we seemed very strong,” he said. 

“That’s when you need a well-balanced car in drying conditions so the tyre degradation happens evenly, rather than the front wearing out more than the rear or vice versa. 

“Also, there’s a good amount that Oscar and I have learned from each other about how to drive the car efficiently. 

“That’s an advantage—not every team has two teammates who can really rely on each other and push each other forward. 

“It’s something we’ve worked on at McLaren, and I think it’s paying off.”

Ferrari meanwhile, although boasting a strong driver line-up, is working hard to bring Hamilton up to speed, as he seeks to tune his massive talent to his new surroundings.

After three seasons as team-mates, Norris and Piastri are singing from the same hymn sheet.

READ MORE – Lando Norris predicts slow start for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

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Isack Hadjar revealed that Lewis Hamilton sent him a message of support following the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix and downplayed Helmut Marko’s criticisms.

After a solid start to his maiden GP weekend, Hadjar lined up 11th on the grid at the Albert Park Circuit for Racing Bulls only for his good work to be undone at Turn 2 on the formation lap.

Misreading the conditions, Hadjar lost control of his VCARB 02 and ended up in the wall.

Distraught and tearful, Hadjar retreated to the paddock and Marko, the man largely responsible for guiding the Red Bull junior graduate into F1, told television broadcaster ORF, “That was a bit embarrassing.”

Hadjar revealed he and Marko are on good terms, however, citing the Austrian’s remarks was likely lost in translation.

“I found [the incident] embarrassing myself,” Hadjar said candidly on Thursday. 

“Helmut, I had him on the phone a day later, and it’s all good. I’ve known him for a few years now. I know how he works. 

“Also, another point, I think he said that he was speaking German, he was reinterpreted differently. 

“I didn’t know about the body language. I didn’t see the footage, so I can’t say much. But apart from that, I see all the love from the fans and the people. I did not expect that at all when I binned it in the wall, so that was nice.”

Hamiltons show support to Hadjar

Hadjar was embraced by Anthony Hamilton on his way back to the paddock in Melbourne last weekend, who said to Sky Sports “I just felt terrible for him, so I thought ‘you know what, I need to go and tell this kid keep your head high, walk tall, you’re gonna come back’.”

Hadjar sees Hamilton as his idol and to receive support from the seven-time champion’s father was “special.”

Not only that, but the Ferrari driver himself reached out to the young rookie.

“[My moment] reminded me of Lewis actually parking the car at the pit entry in Shanghai,” Hadjar said. 

“It was a nice moment sharing time with someone like Anthony, obviously the dad of my idol, so it was quite a special moment and indeed, Lewis sent me a message later that day. 

“Really classy guys.”

Hadjar dusting himself off for fresh Shanghai challenge

Despite the setback in Australia, Hadjar has quickly dusted himself off, thankful for an opportunity to make amends so soon in Shanghai.

“I would say on Monday already I felt quite a lot better, especially knowing that it’s a back-to-back weekend,” he revealed.

“I’ve got to run it back quite early, not having a month to dwell on it.”

Moreover, Hadjar was able to take several positives from his first weekend as a full-time F1 driver.

“I would say that we were surprisingly faster than we thought,” he said.

“Looking at Bahrain, it’s hard to really understand where you’re at in the midfield. You don’t know how much everyone is hiding or not. 

“Going into Melbourne, the car was really good. Straight from FP1, I had a really nice feeling with the car. I was quite comfortable. 

“I was as close to Yuki [Tsunoda] as I wanted to be. I think there was a lot of positives in terms of pure performance.”

With that, Hadjar has demonstrated the mental resilience to give himself a strong foundation heading into the Chinese GP.

READ MORE – Helmut Marko brands Isack Hadjar’s tearful Australian GP exit ‘embarrassing’

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Oscar Piastri has insisted that McLaren’s stance on team orders remains “clear”, despite being told not to overtake Lando Norris in Formula 1‘s Australian Grand Prix.

Piastri experienced heartbreak on home soil last weekend as a probable podium slipped through his grasp when he span with 13 laps to go in changeable conditions.

The Australian, who recovered to ninth, had still been in contention to win the race prior to that moment as he was running behind team-mate Norris in a McLaren 1-2.

Piastri had spied his chance earlier in the race to pass Norris as he pumped in successive fastest laps as the track dried to cut the gap down to less than one second.

But while McLaren approached the campaign adamant that both drivers would be allowed to race, Piastri’s race engineer Tom Stallard instructed him to hold position.

Piastri obliged, with McLaren boss Andrea Stella explaining how concern over navigating lapped cars and an uncertain weather radar triggered the side’s intervention.

The home hero divulged that he intended to hold discussions with the team about the situation, but he denied suggestions that the call was made to prioritise Norris.

“I think today’s race and the circumstances were pretty extreme,” Piastri told media including Motorsport Week.

“We were approaching back markers, one dry line, not knowing if there was going to be rain to come.

“So I’ll speak to the team and try and understand better what the thinking was, but I think it’s always clear that those kind of calls can come in either direction.”

Piastri suggests Australia win was improbable

The decision would be rendered irrelevant to the eventual race outcome as Piastri becoming beached in the grass on Lap 44 resigned him to a damage limitation run.

Piastri has indicated that he would have struggled to overhaul Norris regardless, though, admitting that his mid-race charge had seen him use up the grip on his tyres.

“Yeah, we were holding position before that,” he added.

“I think by the time we were free to race I kind of killed my front left a little bit getting to the back of Lando, so by that point there wasn’t much I could do.

“So I think that was probably a pretty minor moment in today’s race.”

McLaren denies intervention impacted Piastri

As Piastri alluded to, McLaren had permitted him to race Norris, but a wide moment at Turn 6 handed the Briton, who would go on to secure the win, breathing room.

Asked whether the previous instruction had upset Piastri’s momentum, Brown told Sky Sports F1: “I don’t think that had anything to do with it.

“We- Andrea and I on the pit wall – actually just kind of released him to go racing, and we just wanted to make sure we cleared the traffic.

“So that was a hold for a moment, and then it looked like he dropped a wheel and then fell back a bit of a gap.

“But I just think they were pushing really hard in very tricky conditions.”

READ MORE – McLaren reveals Lando Norris won F1 Australian GP with ‘badly damaged’ floor

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Anthony Hamilton vowed that he and his son Lewis are ready to “rebuild” Ferrari into a title-winning team following the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

A tricky adaptation to Ferrari in mixed conditions at the Albert Park Circuit, coupled with strategy miscues resigned Hamilton to a lowly 10th-place finish on his debut with the Scuderia.

Despite the underwhelming result, Hamilton’s father was in a punchy mood in conversation with broadcasters after the chequered flag, making a vow to Ferrari’s loyal Tifosi.

“As far as we’re concerned, we’re fighters, just like Ferrari, which is a world champion team,” Hamilton Sr told Canal+ post-race. 

“We’re going to rebuild this team, not just for us and for Ferrari, but for Italy and all the fans.”

Ferrari has gone without a Constructors’ title since 2008 with its last Drivers’ Championship success coming a year earlier with Kimi Raikkonen.

While the Hamilton/Ferrari debut didn’t go as planned, the seven-time world champion’s father added to Sky Sports F1 “We’re just really pleased we got this race over and done with and we finished it. That was the most important thing.

“With so few laps and time in the car it was always going to be difficult but we’re quite pleased.

“It’s been a learning process, we learnt a lot about the car, what we need to do, what we need to change and where need to go with it.

“It would have been great to come here, been on the pace and been up the front, but that might have been too easy.

“We like things difficult so we’re going to work hard.”

Hamiltons happy with gap to Charles Leclerc

Hamilton Sr. also touched on the importance of Charles Leclerc, predicting harmony between the new Ferrari teammates moving forward.

“Charles is a phenomenal drier and individual and I think as team-mates they’re going to work extremely well together and we are going to bring this team back to a world championship,” he said.

Hamilton was two-tenths shy of Leclerc in qualifying but wasn’t disheartened by that gap considering his acclimation has been taking longer than expected.

“We’re just improving every single lap, session on session,” Hamilton told media including Motorsport Week on Saturday.

“Big learning curve this weekend. The car was so much different from the moment I left the pit lane. 

“Just feeling so much different than I’ve ever experienced here. It’s been a lot slower process for me to really build confidence in the car. 

“If you look at the high speed everywhere, I’ve been down all weekend. Charles just had it from the get go. From the minute he went out, he knew what the car does. 

“For me, I was just building up to that through the weekend. I think I got a lot closer towards it to be that close to Charles in my first qualifying session in the car against a great qualifier.”

READ MORE – Lewis Hamilton ‘grateful’ to keep Ferrari out of the wall in treacherous Australian GP

The post Lewis Hamilton ready to ‘rebuild’ Ferrari amid F1 title vow appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Max Verstappen has admitted Red Bull has “a lot of work to do” to be in contention to win races in the 2025 Formula 1 season based on the team’s deficit to McLaren.

Verstappen started the new campaign on the podium as he came home in second place, less than one second behind Lando Norris in a chaotic Australian Grand Prix.

However, the eventual margin at the end flattered Red Bull’s competitiveness as intermittent rain and multiple Safety Car interventions eliminated the lead Norris held.

Having passed Oscar Piastri at the start, Verstappen split the McLarens until struggles with tyre degradation triggered a mistake as he ran deep at Turn 11 on Lap 17.

The Dutchman proceeded to spurn time at an alarming rate as he dropped 18 seconds behind until Fernando Alonso’s crash on Lap 34 neutralised proceedings again.

Despite being satisfied with the result, Verstappen is under no illusion that Red Bull isn’t in a position to challenge McLaren on merit with the RB21 in its current guise.

“I think it’s good compared to the teams behind us,” Verstappen told media including Motorsport Week.

“But if you look at the first stint, we were quite a bit off. As soon as the tyres started to overheat, we had no chance. McLaren just took off.

“So, we still have a lot of work to do to fight for a win.

“But yeah, I’m happy that we are second here. It’s basically one place better than we should have been. And it’s 18 more points than I had last year at this race.”

Verstappen denies Red Bull missed chance to win

Verstappen inherited the lead on Lap 44 when a rain shower caused both McLarens to run wide at Turn 12, pitching Piastri into a spin and sending Norris into the pits.

Red Bull elected to leave Verstappen out on slicks across the next two laps, prompting questions about whether the team had missed a golden chance to beat Norris.

However, the reigning F1 champion concurred with Red Bull boss Christian Horner that stopping even a lap earlier wouldn’t have changed his overall finishing position.

“We were on the Medium, and of course, you never know how that’s going to work out,” he explained.

“But I thought it was quite a sensible call with 15, 16, or 20 laps to go when the Safety Car came out.

“Then, of course, it started to rain. I saw them go off in front of me, kept it clean, and when I saw Oscar rejoining, I thought, “Well, let’s stay out,” because it was only those three corners.

“The rest was still dry. When I continued, basically, the first two sectors were fine – it was just if I could survive the final sector. I think that lap I did was okay.

“If there wasn’t much more rain coming, I thought it could work.

“You also have to factor in that even if they caught me on an Inter, they’d have to box again for slicks, if it’s not going to rain anymore.

“So, it was fine. I thought, “We’ll do another lap,” but then, unfortunately, on that lap, the first sector was still okay-ish, but then in Sector 2, it started to rain a bit too much and we had to box.

“But in hindsight, it wouldn’t have mattered. If I’d boxed with Lando, it would have been P2. If I’d boxed the next lap, it would have been P2. And the lap that I did box, I was also P2.

“So, we tried something else—it might have worked. In a way, it didn’t work, but we didn’t lose any position, so it’s fine.”

Verstappen powerless to mount Norris attack

Verstappen denied he could have overtaken Norris with the late pressure he applied, citing the damp conditions made it impossible to venture outside the racing line.

Questioned on whether he was wishing there was one more lap, Verstappen retorted: “No, not so much, to be honest.

“I just tried my best, tried to be close, tried to put a bit of pressure on, but it’s very hard to pass around here. There was only one line.

“Even if I had gotten a run into whatever, Turn 9, you have to go onto the wet part, so you can’t really do a lot. But at least it was close. It looked good on TV!”

READ MORE – Red Bull highlights ‘quite strange’ McLaren advantage in F1 2025

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff found himself tracking the progress of Lewis Hamilton during the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix despite his departure to Ferrari.

After 12 seasons helped forge a record-breaking partnership, Mercedes and Hamilton have now contested a GP as opponents for the first time since 2012 as the seven-time champion made his bow with Ferrari.

For Wolff and Hamilton, it was a genuine first, with both men joining the Silver Arrows in 2013.

Wolff admitted post-race at the Albert Park Circuit that he felt as if had “three drivers” competing in Melbourne as his eye kept wandering to his former charge on the timing screens.

“When I was looking at the screens at times, the way I looked at it is like we had three drivers, because I was looking at RUS, I was looking at ANT, and I was looking at HAM,” he said.

“Then, you realise that HAM is actually with Ferrari and is not with us anymore.”

Such is the bond Hamilton formed at Mercedes, Wolff revealed that the Brackley-based team is still rooting for the seven-time champion, even if he’s at rivals Ferrari.

“He was such a long time [he was with us], it’s logical that you can’t say, ‘He’s gone and you don’t care anymore,’” he said. 

“We very much care about how he is doing, but obviously, on the track, he is the competition, and we have to beat the competition.”

Hamilton supporting Mercedes replacement Antonelli

Hamilton’s replacement is none other than 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

A star of the future, the teenager was impressive in Australia, finishing in fourth after starting 16th. 

Hamilton was seen at Antonelli’s side throughout the Australian GP weekend.

First, the seven-time champion heaped praise on his Mercedes replacement during Thursday’s press conference. 

“Just looking at this youngster here, I’m happy for him, you know, he’s doing so well and conducting himself so well,” Hamilton said. 

“Taking that first leap, getting that first opportunity to be in Formula 1, it’s so, so special. 

“I know how many years of dedication it would have taken for him. Starting even younger than I did. It’s just exciting to see.

Hamilton later accompanied the Italian teenager during Sunday’s driver parade and the duo were seen exchanging words in the build-up to the GP.

Acknowledging Hamilton’s support, Antonelli said: “It shows how great he is, not only as a driver, but also as a person.

“Because he’s always there supportive.”

READ MORE – Mercedes boss Toto Wolff keen to thwart ‘iconic’ Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

The post Why Toto Wolff was tracking Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari progress in Australia appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Lando Norris has warned McLaren’s rivals there will be tracks that are more suited to the team’s 2025 Formula 1 car amid its strong start at the Australian Grand Prix.

McLaren delivered on the promise it had shown in pre-season last weekend as Norris overcame changeable conditions to win the season-opening race at Albert Park.

The paddock consensus that McLaren’s MCL39 car is a class apart was realised as Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri pulled ahead at a rapid rate as the track dried.

Norris had opened up a substantial 18-second lead over Verstappen’s Red Bull inside 26 racing laps when Fernando Alonso’s crash on Lap 34 triggered the Safety Car.

That has enhanced concern that the Woking-based squad, which also took a front-row lockout with three-tenths in hand on the Red Bull, could be primed to dominate.

But while he predicted there will be venues that expose McLaren’s limitations, Norris is adamant there will also be circuits where the MCL39 is even more competitive.

Asked whether he thinks there will be circuits McLaren will struggle at, Norris told media including Motorsport Week: “I do, but I think we’ll have both.

“I think we’ll have tracks where we will be even better, and I think we’ll have a couple where we’ll struggle.

“We were good last year, especially in the second half of the season, but Vegas was woeful. In fact, we were shocking.

“There are other tracks along those lines where we did struggle quite a bit.

“We’ve definitely made our car much more balanced across all types of circuits – high speed, low speed, high downforce, low downforce. We’re competitive at most.

“But these low grip tracks like Vegas, we really struggled. It highlighted our issues with the front of the car – the graining, the lack of rotation.

“We know that, though. We know where we’re going to struggle.”

Where could McLaren come undone?

Norris pinpointed Bahrain as one track where the opposition could edge McLaren, despite the side’s standout pace at the venue during pre-season testing last month.

“Even in Bahrain a couple of weeks ago, we came out confident, but everyone was hyping us up a lot,” he highlighted.

“Mainly just because our high-fuel pace was very strong. But on low fuel, we were struggling. We were not as quick as some of the others.

“Even if we took all our fuel out and max the engine mode, I don’t think we would have been quicker.

“We know we have work to do. If we raced in Bahrain again, I wouldn’t be confident we could win the race.

Norris expects strong McLaren in China

Norris harbours optimism that McLaren will go well again in China this weekend, though, having split the dominant Red Bull cars in 2024 with his launch-spec MCL38.

“I’m confident that when we go to China next weekend, we can be very strong, because we were strong there last year with not a very good car,” he assessed.

“So, a mixture. But I hope not. Vegas was our worst last season, so I’m hoping we’ll improve by then.”

READ MORE – McLaren ‘surprised’ by overall competitiveness of 2025 F1 car

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Formula 1 2025 arrived with the Australian Grand Prix hosting the season-opening race, bringing with it an indelible myriad of thrilling moments and incident – and all it needed for those to happen was a bit of rainfall.

After all the build-up, anticipation and speculation, the season, perhaps one of the most hotly-anticipated in years, got going at the Albert Park Circuit under a blanket of rain, heightening the tension, becoming a meteorological starting pistol for a race of high drama that comprised many winners and losers.

Lando Norris: 9

Qualified: P1, Race Result: P1

Norris picked up where he left off in 2024, with a win, and with pole position to boot.

There might be added pressure on the Briton this year, given that he is seemingly in the fastest car -this time from the start of the season – and in his seventh season in the sport, and many have questioned whether he will be able to cope with the pressure.

But in tricky conditions and circumstances, Norris managed it. Well, just.

Having had the measure of the field the whole race – the benchmark being team-mate Oscar Piastri – he and the fellow McLaren slid off the greasy surface on Lap 44 as rain became to descend once more.

But staying calm and composed, Norris rejoined, pitted for intermediates, retaking the lead when everyone else had come to the same conclusion that a change of rubber would be safer.

The late portion of the race would now see him being challenged by a familiar view in the mirrors – Max Verstappen – but in the end, Norris stayed the coolest man in Melbourne to kickstart the year in the more desired way, and hopefully for him, setting the tone to what might be a career-defining campaign.

The victory was latterly made more impressive by the revelation that he suffered floor damage in the midst of his excursion.

Oscar Piastri: 6

Qualified: P2, Race Result: P9

Piastri stayed in-touch with Norris for pretty much the whole race as he did he in qualifying, rectifying an early mistake on his first run to secure second, a fraction off Norris’ time.

At the start, Piastri lost out to Verstappen at Turn 2, but after regaining the position later and bearing down on Norris, he was ordered to hold station.

On Lap 44, following Norris off the road in sympathy, he wasn’t so lucky when it came to recovering, beaching himself in the wet grass.

Eventually working-out that reversing would be beneficial, Piastri extricated himself from the grass and back onto the track, his race now no more than a damage limitation job.

However, that particular task went well, picking-off a great deal of cars in-front of him, including a pass on Pierre Gasly and a daring move on Lewis Hamilton on the last lap.

On a different day, Piastri might have got himself onto the top step of the podium, but in a race where even some of the best drivers of many years made mistakes, he was caught-out by the elements, denying him not only a shot at a home win, but a more meaningful result.

Max Verstappen: 8.5

Qualified: P3, Race Result: P2

The reigning World Champion’s expectations have been lowered like a limbo pole this year, but writing off Max Verstappen is never a wise thing to do.

Qualifying third, albeit a three tenths off the McLarens’ pace, Verstappen, as per usual in this sort of weather, kept a calm head but on Lap 17, he made an uncharacteristic error into Turn 11.

He lost 14 seconds on the McLarens in the next 10 laps, but his bacon was saved by the arrival of the Safety Car, which gave him the opportunity to eradicate the gap.

After losing the obstacle Piastri was, he set about closing down on Norris, but in the end, he had to settle for second place, but after the glass-half-empty feeling the team had when coming into the race, it was a happy weekend for Verstappen to end-up on the podium.

Liam Lawson: 3

Qualified: P18 (Started from the pit lane), Race Result: DNF

In his first race for Red Bull, the Kiwi bemoaned his own lack of pace, and after missing FP3, it always felt he would be on the back foot in qualifying, particularly as he had never previously driven the Albert Park Circuit before the weekend.

After two mistakes on his push laps in Q1, he was eliminated, and after being opted to start in the pitlane, his race never really got going.

Given the unenviable position he was in during the race, his team chose to gamble and let him stay out on slicks when the rain returned on the infamous 44th lap, but it was quickly realised that this throw of the dice saw him land on a snake, rather than a ladder.

Into the wall at Turn 2, his race was done, but instead of the usual harsh critique from his Red Bull paymasters, Christian Horner defended Lawson’s race, saying his dry weather pace “was not too bad” and backed the “resilient” new team-mate to Verstappen to bounce back.

George Russell: 8.5

Qualified: P4, Race Result: P3

Whilst an uneventful, perhaps boring race might not always seem like a glowing review, Russell’s decision to take this tact was an intelligent one and saw him reap rewards with his best first-race result of his F1 career.

A good qualifying saw him as a potential cat amongst pigeons, Russell quickly determined that he would be faster over the course of the race than the Ferraris, and therefore opted to play it conservatively.

This approach served him well, as he found himself a benefactor in Piastri’s mistake and being able to largely make the finish un-pressured.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli: 8

Qualified: P16, Race Result: P4

Being a teenager and replacing one of the oldest drivers on the grid – who also happens to be one of the most successful ever – is a daunting task, particularly when you suffered in qualifying, and missing out on reaching the later stages, but it did not deter Antonelli.

The Italian was condemned to a lowly grid spot after floor damage caused by running over the kerbs, but come race day, he seemed to come of age.

Despite a spin in the race, he hauled his Mercedes up the order, an impressive feat in the dry, let alone the changeable weather that reality handed him during the race.

A late overtake on Alex Albon saw him finish fourth, though briefly relegated to fifth after a five-second time penalty which was later overturned.

Such an impressive debut will now give Antonelli a platform on which to build, proving he is worthy of the expectation placed about his shoulders.

Charles Leclerc: 6

Qualified: P7, Race Result: P8

The Monegasque sought to challenge McLaren having gone fastest in FP2, but come qualifying, optimism dissipated.

Qualifying a disappointing seventh, Leclerc managed to quickly get past Yuki Tsunoda and Albon, but any sense of brightness in Leclerc’s day went with the weather, as he was another spinning victim of the Lap 44 drizzle.

Not aided by another bungled Ferrari strategy decision, Leclerc pitted late which left him to leave Australia with eighth, having got past Gasly and new team-mate Lewis Hamilton late-on to claim two points.

Lewis Hamilton: 6

Qualified: P8, Qualified: P10

The most anticipated F1 driver move in years finally began, but not so much with a bang, but more the crackle of a cheap firework.

Unable to extract anymore pace out of the SF-25, Hamilton was forced to settle for eighth on the grid, and after being stuck behind Albon in the early stages, Hamilton would find himself, at one stage, running in the top three, but the strategic gamble, including a double-stacking with Leclerc, saw Hamilton come home in an underwhelming 10th for one point.

His downcast demeanour, so frequent in his final years at Mercedes, did not return however, and despite radio communications broadcast conveyed a sense of disconnect with his new engineer, Hamilton downplayed his weekend but recognised its still early-days in the union with his new team.

Alex Albon: 9

Qualified: P6, Race Result: P5

Albon had a weekend which helped early-season optimism that Williams are finally turning the corner from backmarkers to midfield contenders.

Qualifying fifth ahead of new team-mate Carlos Sainz, the Thai driver said the result was a vindication of such a prediction, and hopefully for the Grove squad, a sign of things to come.

Albon was able to hold-off Hamilton’s challenge for a big chunk of the race, and he, along with his team, profited from Ferrari’s strategy blunders, enabling him to score his best-ever result as a Williams driver.

Carlos Sainz: 4.5

Qualified: P10, Race Result: DNF

There would always be an inevitable sense of expectation on Sainz, having become Williams’ first race-winning driver on its roster for some time.

Running well in practice, Sainz was unable to match his team-mate in qualifying, but there was always room to improve for the race.

However, it all went horribly wrong very quickly.

Due to what the team put down to a spike in torque, Sainz dropped it at the exit of the final corner under the Safety Car before the end of Lap 1 to end his interest early.

Or so he thought, as his experience and insight became useful to the team later on.

Instead of ruminating on a less-than-desirable start to his Williams career, Sainz utilised his knowledge to help the team tweak its strategy which significantly boosted Albon’s race, providing a glimmer of something impressive to show for what was, on track, a disappointing first race.

Lance Stroll: 7.5

Qualified: P13, Race Result: P6

Lance Stroll has a really unenviable position in F1: a driver with a seat virtually guaranteed by the family connection to his team, and often making mistakes that often give the Canadian the aura of being a rookie, when in reality, it’s his ninth season in F1.

But Stroll can deliver in the wet, and amid all the chaos around him, he kept his head well.

Qualifying behind his team-mate Fernando Alonso, Stroll was able to be, for a change, the Aston Martin driver who showed experience under difficult circumstances, profiting from the mistakes of his partner and others to surely give the Silverstone-based squad a result it was not expecting at all.

Fernando Alonso: 4

Qualified: P12, Race Result: DNF

Alonso’s disposition across the whole weekend made the Sunday weather seem more sunny by comparison.

Aware time is not on his side with age, combined with what appears to be a car that is regressing from last year’s, and the year before.

Narrowly missing-out on Q3, Alonso could usually be counted-on to perform under adversity, but an unusual error at Turn 6 ended his afternoon, a particular shame for him as he had been running well with good pace on the intermediate tyres.

Nico Hulkenberg: 7

Qualified: P17, Race Result: P7

In one fell swoop, Hulkenberg managed to help Sauber surpass its 2024 points total in one race, the German returning to the Swiss outfit before it begins its transition into the works Audi team.

The veteran’s weekend did not get off to a good start, however, as he was out-qualified by rookie team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto, but a sensible race by him and his team saw him climb up the order, and finish ahead of the Ferraris and home favourite Piastri to begin his second stint with Sauber on perhaps the most positive note it could have hoped for.

Gabriel Bortoleto: 6

Qualified: P15, Race Result DNF

The reigning F2 champion began life as an F1 driver facing the wrath of Red Bull’s outspoken advisor Helmut Marko, who labelled the Brazilian as a “B driver”.

Undeterred, Bortoleto was able to out-qualify Hulkenberg, and ran well during the race, particularly given the tricky conditions in what was a hectic day’s running for a rookie, but was unable to make the finish after crashing at the exit of Turn 11.

A rear suspension problem caused the crash, taking the heat of Bortoleto’s more harsher critics.

Yuki Tsunoda: 9

Qualified: P5, Race Result: P12

Tsunoda must have flown out of Australia rueing what might have been due to a strategic error, but can be hugely proud of himself for a sterling performance all weekend.

Qualifying in fifth, 13 places ahead of Lawson – the man he surely considered his competition for that coveted Red Bull drive – the Japanese ran superbly all race.

He overtook Leclerc after switching for slicks, but like Leclerc, he suffered a similar fate of being left out for too long towards the end of the race when the rain returned, leaving him out of the points, no reward for his fine performance.

Racing Bulls accepted responsibility for the mistake, and will be hoping of giving him the same sort of car performance in China to ensure he will be battling in the points-scoring positions again.

Isack Hadjar: 3

Qualified: P11, Race Result: DNF

After the events of Sunday, it was hard to determined which was redder: a Ferrari, or Hadjar’s face, as an embarrassing moment on the formation lap ended his afternoon before it even began.

The weekend had started so well for the French rookie too, narrowly missing-out on Q3, but 11th was enough to get many people talking positively about the 2024 Formula 2 runner-up’s chances.

Come race day, the rain, coupled with the act of attempting to warm his tyres, Hadjar slid into the barrier on the exit of Turn 2, which left him with nothing to do but endure a walk of shame through the paddock, soothed by the comforting words of Lewis Hamilton’s father Anthony, who consoled him.

Hadjar’s mental strength will now be tested between now and China, as scrutiny will surely continue for what was, quite literally, a rookie error.

Pierre Gasly: 6

Qualified: P9, Race Result: P11

Gasly is, perhaps for the first time in his career, a true team leader, with Alpine largely squared around him with Esteban Ocon now at Haas.

The French team was perhaps not quite as competitive as it hoped. With Williams naming it its midfield benchmark for 2025, Alpine were outdone in both qualifying and the race.

Qualifying ninth ahead of Sainz but behind Albon by two-tenths, Gasly did not have quite enough power under his right foot to keep himself in the top 10 during the race, labouring to an 11th-place finish behind Hamilton.

Jack Doohan: 3.5

Qualified: P14, Race Result: DNF

Whilst all F1 drivers, particularly rookies, enter a season with the spotlight under them, it’s fair to say Doohan is perhaps the one with the most eyes watching him.

As what must feel like a million different magnifying glasses inspecting his every turn of the wheel, Doohan must have also felt the presence of Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto, widely-speculated to be waiting in the wings to replace the Australian, hanging over him like a cloud as dark as the ones in the Melbourne sky.

The weekend got off to a positive start, qualifying in 14th and showing a decent amount of pace, and could count himself unlucky not to make it into Q3, after losing the use of DRS on his final run after Hamilton spun ahead of him.

Before that, his day’s running had seen him largely on-par with Gasly in terms of his times.

But under all those watching eyes, the dream of racing in-front of his home fans quickly turned into a nightmare, as he would, like Sainz, not complete a lap, clouting the barrier at Turn 6.

Whilst Hadjar’s critics might forgive him for his mistake, Doohan must now endure a more torrid week of forensic analysis, Colapinto continues to lurk in the shadows, waiting to pounce.

Oliver Bearman: 3

Qualified: P20 (Started from the pit lane), Race Result: P14

An early crash in FP1 set the tone for a depressing weekend for Bearman and Haas, the young Brit completing less than 14 laps by the time of qualifying.

A gearbox issue further compounded his misery, and in the race, he would spin at Turn 12, but was able to make it to the end, along with his team-mate, banking necessary and useful mileage for the American squad.

Esteban Ocon: 5

Qualified: P14, Race Result: P13

In what was, essentially, an extended test session for Haas, Ocon was the slowest driver to set a lap time in qualifying, no doubt a painful experience as he would see former employers Alpine jostling for top 10 finishes.

In the race, he was able to assert some inter-team dominance, being able to finish around seven seconds up the road from Bearman, the pair keeping everything crossed for an improvement with the aid of its technical partners Ferrari and Toyota soon.

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McLaren CEO Zak Brown has assessed that Red Bull makes “strange driver choices” amid Yuki Tsunoda’s impressive weekend at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

Tsunoda is embarking on his fifth campaign with Red Bull’s satellite squad in 2025 having been overlooked once again to take the coveted step up to the parent team.

An opening had become available alongside Max Verstappen when Sergio Perez was dropped, but Liam Lawson was promoted over his then Racing Bulls team-mate.

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Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies had commended Tsunoda’s positive reaction to the omission, which was shown at the opening round as he qualified in the top five.

That meant Tsunoda was the second-highest Red Bull-backed driver on the grid behind Verstappen as Lawson’s mistake-laden run consigned him to a Q1 elimination.

Brown, not missing the chance to take aim at a rival team to McLaren, branded Red Bull’s decision to nominate Lawson over the more experienced Tsunoda “strange”.

“I think it’s going to be a very exciting year,” Brown told Sky Sports post-qualifying.

“Yuki did a great job, probably the guy that should be in the Red Bull if you look at how he’s performed, but they seem to make some strange driver choices.”

Tsunoda impresses Red Bull boss

Tsunoda was on course to convert that promising starting position into a sizeable points haul when he overtook Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari as the track dried on Lap 42.

However, a rain shower in the closing stages unravelled the Japanese racer’s work as Racing Bulls timing the transition to Intermediates too late dropped him to 12th.

But although he departed Albert Park without a single point, Tsunoda’s drive didn’t go unnoticed as Red Bull boss Christian Horner was asked to comment on his race.

“I thought Yuki again drove a very good race today,” Horner told select media including Motorsport Week.

“I didn’t follow closely their decision-making for going from slicks to inters. It looked like they perhaps missed the window.

“I looked up at one point and he was ahead of Charles Leclerc and driving very well.

“They’ve had a well-balanced car this weekend. I’m sure they’ll be hoping for that to continue in China next weekend.”

READ MORE – Racing Bulls apologises to Yuki Tsunoda after F1 Australian GP blunder

The post McLaren CEO aims dig at Red Bull over Yuki Tsunoda F1 snub appeared first on Motorsport Week.