Outside Line: Shell-shocked and eating humble pie post-Melbourne
F1 NewsMonday, 17 March 2025 at 13:30
I was shell-shocked. Hungover, as if leaving a rave with the sun rising. This after waking up at 4:30 am (Europe timezone) to catch the action and incident-packed 2025 Formula 1 season-opener at Albert Park a reminder of why we love Formula 1 so much.
The 2025 Australian Grand Prix was one of the most epic races I have witnessed in a while, not only because of the dramatic incidents and the incredible battle between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen but also because the Melbourne weather (aka rain) threw a wildcard into the mix, challenging the drivers to their limits.
I must admit I felt extreme sorrow and total disbelief watching Isack Hadjar put his pretty Racing Bull into the wall. The young Frenchman was stellar on Saturday in his first Qualy, only to see his Grand Prix debut end before it even began.
And that was before the race started! As I always say: You can't script this stuff! What followed was an afternoon of high tension, incredible drama, and countless incidents. But most of all, the final 2025 Australian Grand Prix result made my pre-race predictions look foolish. I had to eat some serious humble pie.
I’ll admit it: one part of me wanted the ‘good guy’ Norris to win, and he did. But to be brutally honest, I thought Verstappen would have the edge by the end of the race and gatecrash McLaren’s party. He nearly did, sorta did, but in the end, he didn’t.
And I’m delighted that he didn’t - not because I have anything against Max, he is the best I have ever seen - but because he needs someone to push him. We need it for the sake of the contest.
I still believe Max will win the F1 title this year but Lando has closed the odds big time
If I had to bet on the 2025 F1 world champion right now, I’d still say Verstappen will secure his fifth by December. But if Sunday's race winner Norris can maintain the level of composure - calm, cool, collected, when under big pressure from his nemesis - and McLaren continues to deliver the car for both their drivers, Verstappen will have his hands full.
While Norris nearly slithered out late in the race, he gathered it all up and nipped into the pits, a split-second call from the cockpit which saved his win. Behind him, at exactly the same time Piastri wasn’t as fortunate. He too got into a tank-slapper, caught the car but drove onto the grass, throwing away what should have been a McLaren one-two. A kinda-rookie error and his dejected post-race demeanour said it all.
Oscar knew he had thrown away a golden opportunity for a race-opening podium - or even victory - was on the cards. Instead, he had to settle for P9. A painful and cruel lesson learned.
Humble Pie double portion munching from me. I was completely wrong in my assessment of Kimi Antonelli, in the camp thinking he was being thrust into F1 too soon. If this is is how he is going to be going forward, boy was I wrong! Kimi was supreme in conditions he had never encountered before in an F1 car.
Of Antonelli: The kid we saw in Melbourne I had never seen before
For an 18-year-old he showed immense composure, especially after witnessing his fellow rookies prang out one after the other. He spun too while making his way upfield, but recovered unlike many on the day who ended their race in the wall. The youngest driver on the grid made the Mercedes team proud, I almost thought he was a veteran at one stage.
So I put up my hand, performances like this demand respect. My initial belief was that this whole 'Antonelli experiment' had only around a 30% chance of working before they put Valtteri Bottas in the car. I have to admit that percentage has now bolted up to a solid 50-50. The kid we saw in Melbourne I had never seen before.
Kimi will need a few more races to truly convince 100%, but this was an impressive start. But that will go down as one of the best opening races by a rookie since Kevin Magnussen scored a podium finish in his GP debut at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix.
Relative to George Russell, who secured a somewhat fortuitous podium thanks to the high attrition rate that included the demise of Piastri, Antonelli’s performance was commendable, even remarkable under the tricky conditions.
A good Australian weekend for Mercedes
The Mercedes W16 may not have had the outright pace of McLaren right now, but Russell kept it clean and was rewarded with a podium celebration. Prior to the season's start, Mercedes would not've expected a P3 and P4 at the opening race.
In stark contrast, and hugely disappointing whether you are Tifosi or not were Ferrari. The great Italian team had a weekend to forget. After showing strong pace in practice. Ir all went awry in Qualifying on Saturday. For whatever reason they dropped the ball. Charles Leclerc laboured anonymously to P8 while Lewis Hamilton struggled to P10 on his Ferrari debut.
Hamilton’s race was particularly difficult - his radio messages sounded tense as he adapted to a new team, a new engineer and of course a new car. While he did manage to lead for a very short spell, it was an anomaly as he stayed out while others pitted late in the race. Lewis was swallowed by the pack. His first Ferrari outing was underwhelming, but it’s too early to make sweeping judgments. The glorious honeymoon of the past few months is officially over.
Also hugely disappointing was Liam Lawson. For me the biggest letdown of the weekend, even though losing FP3 through no fault of his own did him no favours. And let’s be honest he’s not really a rookie anymore. It was not his first race like a Hadjar or Antonelli.
Of Lawson: The kid we saw in Melbourne I had never seen before
With 11 previous Grand Prix starts, the Kiwi was Red Bull’s chosen replacement for Sergio Perez. I really expected Lawson to be a great deal better this past weekend. The kid we saw in Melbourne I had never seen before.
If he continues like this, Red Bull may start reconsidering their options. Yuki Tsunoda, clearly frustrated with still being in the junior team, must be watching this unfold with interest. In hindsight, it may be that Red Bull have again erred on who to put in the same garage as Max.
Over at Williams, it was a bittersweet GP, (Red Bull reject) Alex Albon delivered a stellar performance, overshadowing his new teammate Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard, eager to make an impact after his Ferrari exit, galvanised the Grove outfit over the winter but was cruelly exposed by the tricky conditions.
For someone of Sainz's experience and calibre, this was a massive missed opportunity, especially at a circuit where he won so dramatically last year. He will want to erase this race from his memory as quickly as possible. Torque surge? More like talk sh!t!
On days like these, it always made me think how all those years ago Helmut Marko had the choice: between RBR upstarts, Sainz or Verstappen. He made the right call.
Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg deserves a big dollop of credit for finishing P6 in a car that is likely the second-worst on the grid, ahead of Haas only. After outqualifying his veteran teammate on Saturday, Gabriel Bortoleto got a harsh welcome to F1.
Stuff you can't script: Bortoleto and his mentor/manager Alonso both pranged
And in one of the most ironic moments of the weekend, Bortoleto's mentor and manager, Fernando Alonso, also the oldest driver on the grid, did the same thing as his protege, crashing out when a top-10 result was there for the taking. Until he bent the Aston Martin.
Jack Doohan endured a nightmare Sunday at his home race with an early crash in only his second Grand Prix, compounding pressure on his place as the second Alpine driver. With young talents like Franco Colapinto waiting in the wings - handpicked by Flavio Briatore, no less - the Aussie youngster must improve quickly.
His teammate Pierre Gasly, dug into his vast experience, and had a far superior race in the other Alpine, outqualifying and outracing his rookie teammate comprehensively. this weekend. As I expected to be honest.
Now that the dust has settled, one thing is clear—this season is shaping up to be the humdinger we all predicted.
Before we head to China, a final word on the 39th Australian Grand Prix, I tip my hat to young rookie Kimi Antonelli, who took a giant step to convince me he deserves to be in Formula 1. At the same time, shake my head at Liam Lawson, who showed me that the more I think I know, the less I know about this un-scriptable sport of ours
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