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We’re five minutes away from lights out in Melbourne.
Isask Hadjar proved the fastest of the rookies in qualifying yesterday, just missing the cut-off for Q3 and starting his Racing Bulls car from 11th on the grid.
Teammate Yuki Tsunoda, though, was even quicker; the Japanese driver registering the fifth fastest time in the final qualifying session to ensure he will start on the third row of the grid – well ahead of Lawson, who got the nod to join Verstappen with Red Bull this season.
It wasn’t quite the nightmare session his fellow rookie Bearman had, but new Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli also struggled in qualifying yesterday.
The Italian broke a part of his floor after sliding onto one of the kerbs surrounding the Melbourne street circuit, hampering him enough to eliminate him in Q1 while his teammate Russell went on to qualify fourth.
Confirmation coming in that Liam Lawson is also set to start form pit lane after Red Bull was forced to change his rear wing.
After getting a brief taste of the track on wets, Norris is heading back into the pits to put a set of intermediates onto his car before the race gets underway.
Zak Brown, McLaren CEO, is on the broadcast and says he’s expecting a rolling safety car start.
With conditions wet and wild it’s going to be a first wet-weather race in Melbourne since 2010, when Jensen Button won from fourth. Another Brit in George Russell has qualified in fourth today, an omen?
Some interesting developments coming out of Albert Park as the cars get a first look at the sodden circuit – plenty of cars taking the opportunity to practice a standing start as they head out of the pits.
And there’s a bit of a surprise from Ferrari, as Hamilton is being sent out on intermediates, while Leclerc looks to have full wets on.
2025, of course, sees the launch of a new partnership. The sport’s most successful driver teaming with the sport’s most successful team.
Lewis Hamilton, driving a Ferrari. A man with seven world titles seeking to bring a first world champion to the Italian giants since 2007.
Are you bored of Max Verstappen’s dominance of F1? If so, I’m afraid you’ll get little sympathy from the Dutchman, who spoke to Giles Richards.
Indications from pre-season testing were that Williams were perhaps ahead of schedule in their attempts to rebuild for 2026 but even still, their pace so far this weekend has been one of the major talking points.
James Vowles’ team will start with two cars in the top ten today, Alex Albon qualifying in sixth – ahead of both Ferraris – while Carlos Sainz will get things going from tenth.
One of five rookies on the grid this season, Ollie Bearman’s first weekend in F1 couldn’t be going much worse so far.
The Brit put his Haas into the wall in FP1, missed FP2 as repairs were made, and subsequently spun off and beached his car in Fp3, meaning he had only 13 laps of practice before qualifying.
Gearbox problems then forced him back into the pits at the start of Q1, preventing him from setting a lap time and forcing him to the start today’s race from pit lane.
If Verstappen is to take out his fifth title in 2025, it may just prove to be his most hard-fought yet.
Pre-season testing showed that the Red Bull will be challenged by the cars of McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes this season, and that Christian Horner’s team are still trying to nail down their best approach.
This bore out in qualifying, as the McLaren’s of Norris and Piastri looked to have that extra edge of their rivals and duly qualified one-two.
After some in-depth work by Red Bull engineers, Verstappen found an extra level of pace after a sluggish Friday and to secure third place on the grid but teammate Liam Lawson had no such luck – qualifying all the way back in 18th.
Today marks the start of the 2025 F1 campaign and Max Verstappen, who qualified in third, once again enters as the hunted.
The Dutchman took out his fourth consecutive world title in 2024, arguably his most hardly fought since his first back in 2021. But there are 19 other drivers on the grid, eager to hunt him down and make their own piece of history. To get you up to speed, here’s Giles Richards’ team-by-team preview.
The Grid Down Under
1. Lando Norris - McLaren
2. Oscar Piastri - McLaren
3. Max Verstappen – Red Bull
4. George Russell – Mercedes
5. Yuki Tsunoda – Racing Bulls
6. Alexander Albon – Williams
7. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
8. Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
9. Pierre Gasly – Alpine
10. Carlos Sainz – Williams
11. Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls
12. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
13. Lance Stroll – Aston Martin
14. Jack Doohan – Alpine
15. Gabriel Bortoleto – Sauber
16. Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
17. Nico Hulkenberg – Sauber
18. Liam Lawson – Red Bull
19. Esteban Ocon – Haas
20. Oliver Bearman – Haas
Preamble
Howdy one and all, my name is Joey Lynch and it’s great to have your company for The Guardian’s live coverage of the first race of the 2025 Formula 1 season. And we’re coming to you from a grey, wet, and windy Melbourne.
The aphorism in motorsport, not just F1, is that rain is the great equaliser and if that bears true then today’s race might be staged on one of the most level playing fields we’ve seen for quite a while. In contrast to the scorching temperatures of yesterday, the temperatures are in the mid teens in the Australian sporting capital (low 60s in freedom units) and could drop even further in the afternoon. In addition, rain has already buffeted Melbourne across the morning and the forecast is projecting further, spotty showers over the course of the race.
Already today, race organisers, doing what they can to ensure the main event is put in the best position to go ahead, have been forced to cancel today’s V8 Supercars race after just two laps and the scheduled Formula 2 race before it could complete its formation lap.
What does that mean? In theory, it means the technological advantages enjoyed by the grids heavyweights – while still there – will be lessened by the conditions. That means that the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri atop the grid, who have possessed a clear edge in pace throughout this weekend, won’t glean the same kind of boon they otherwise might have in dry conditions.
For the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in seventh and eighth, conversely, whose cars haven’t shown the same kind of speed as their rivals thus far but are expected to show better pace once the race gets underway, the conditions could serve to give them a leg up in their attempts to move through the pack in front of them.
Lights Out: 9pm PST/4am GMT/3pm AEDT
