Grand Prix 2025 Australian Grand Prix

My word, here we are only a few days away from the first race of the season and we don't have a discussion thread.

2025 is the last year of the current regulations and last year did show that having continuity for several season does bring the cars closer together, with three different teams and seven different drivers winning races. Pre-season testing suggests that McLaren have picked up where they left off at the end of 2024, with a small advantage. Will this carry through to the first race? 2024 did suggest that some cars were fastest depending on the type of circuit. I hope this year will be as competitive from the first race as it was at the end of last season.

We also have the excitement of new drivers and some changes in the team line ups. The biggest move, of course, is Lewis Hamilton replacing Carlos Sainz at Ferrari. Can the Scuderia provide Lewis with a record breaking 8th title? Sainz, meanwhile, has gone to Williams, who were showing some pace at the end of last season after many years in the doldrums.

2024 saw the end, for now anyway, of Sergio Perez, Zhou Guanyu, Valterri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen and, mid-season, Daniel Ricciardo. Some new talent was blooded and showed some promise with Oliver Bearman, Liam Lawson and Jack Doohan all securing full time seats for 2025. Franco Colapinto was the exception of the new drivers blooded in 2024 to get a full time seat for 2025, but he will be lurking at the back of the Alpine Garage, keeping Jack Doohan on his toes.

The F1 driver line is also joined by Andrea Kimi Antonelli (who passed his driving test during the season break!), Isack Hadjar, and Gabriel Bortolato. Antonelli has the best opportunity, sitting next to George Russell at Mercedes. It will be fascinating to see how the other two progress with less competitive machinery. As Bearman and Colapinto showed last year, you don't need to have a race winning car to show your capabilities.

The race is at some ungodly hour here in the UK. Well done to those of you who will either stay awake until wee hours to watch it, or drag yourselves from your slumbers. Me, I suspect I will record it and watch it "as live" with a cup of tea and some toast when my brain is able to comprehend what is happening.

For those with Sky, here are the timings.

And for those with some time to spare, the official website is worth a nose around - FORMULA 1 LOUIS VUITTON AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2025 - but if you were hoping to get some tickets late on it appears to be sold out.

Enjoy!

 

[cider_and_toast]

Tsunoda demonstrating why Verstappen wanted Lawson.

 

[F1Brits_90]

fascinating qualifying, i think we all knew McLaren were quick being the only team not to do a performance run in testing is always an ominous sign & that is going to be fascinating between Norris & piastri, because we saw how quickly the Hamilton & Rosberg friendship deteriorated good natured in march & they hated each other by august

& Ferrari very disappointing they've gone really backwards, they were nowhere, Hamilton will be pleased to be so close to Leclerc in time & place, but i wonder how much its the pull rod suspension they changed to because 1) there has to be a reason why push rod is norm that almost every team uses & 2) it seems to be a cycle that a leading team tries pull rod suspension tell us all the aerodynamic benefits of it, only to realise why nobody else uses it, ditches it 1 or 2 years later & goes back to push rod

Max very impressive as always, but new year, new car, new driver but same problems, i understand why they do it because he brought alot of success, but only max can seemingly drive it, Albon, Perez have talked how difficult the 2nd car is because of how on edge & twitchy it can be

on the rookies Bortoleto, easily the best of them very impressive to outqualify hulkenburg. but then was it to be expected as its almost as guaranteed as a driver who won 3rd tier & then 2nd tier titles in consecutive years. as Hamilton, Hulkenburg, Leclerc, Russell & Piastri isnt a bad list to be a part of. bearman not really his fault more bad luck, but wow is that Haas dreadful, 6 tenths slower than the sauber & antotelli another bit of bad luck appartantly lost 3 tenths on the straights with a broken bib on the floor, which wouldve had him 7th in Q1 not 16th