By Ryan Wu
Rain Chaos
During a dry qualifying session, forecasts predicted heavy rain leading up to race time. As expected, wet conditions forced drivers to start on intermediate tires, setting the stage for a chaotic season opener. It did not disappoint as they say rain is the great equalizer. The drama began immediately, with Isack Hadjar crashing on the first formation lap, followed by Jack Doohan’s incident on Lap 1.
Minutes later, Carlos Sainz spun his Williams at Turn 15 under the safety car, ending his season debut early. At one point, I wondered if there would even be enough cars left on track to fill the podium.
McLaren: Not Slick Enough
After securing a front-row lockout in qualifying, McLaren looked poised for a strong start to the season. Verstappen, starting third, quickly passed Oscar Piastri on the opening lap to move into second. However, a mistake on lap 17 allowed Piastri to easily reclaim the position, restoring McLaren’s 1-2. By lap 26, Verstappen had fallen 26 seconds behind the leader.
On lap 34, Fernando Alonso crashed, bringing out the second safety car of the race to the benefit of Verstappen allowing him to close the gap to the leading McLarens.
The inclement weather remained a key story throughout the race, with periodic rain affecting track conditions. For Oscar Piastri, it spelled disaster when both he and Lando Norris skittered off the track on lap 44, but Piastri was worse off, temporarily stranding his car in the grass, ultimately resulting in a 10th place finish.
As conditions worsened, several cars pitted for intermediate tires again, including Norris, who was leading the race. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton both briefly took the lead during the chaos before Verstappen was called into the pits for intermediates. After a third safety car period, it once again brought Max Verstappen on the tail of Lando Norris to begin the last 5 laps of the race.
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris then battled for the last two laps of the race as Verstappen closed the gap and gained DRS. Norris showed incredible mettle as he had the 4-time World Champion breathing down his neck and claimed the win in the maiden race of the season.
Albert Park Shows Its Teeth to Young Drivers
This weekend has been especially tough for rookies. Three of the six new drivers failed to advance past the first qualifying session.
Oliver Bearman had a difficult weekend. He crashed in the first practice session, requiring a power unit replacement, then suffered gearbox issues and failed to set a lap in qualifying, ultimately starting the race from the pit lane.
Liam Lawson needed a rear wing change and, as per parc fermé rules, had to start the race from the pit lane. He later crashed out while on hard tires in wet conditions.
Isack Hadjar, who qualified 11th, didn’t even make it to the race start, spinning out after driving over the white lines during the first formation lap attempt.
Once the race finally began, Australian Jack Doohan crashed on lap 1, leading to a safety car deployment minutes into the race. On lap 11, Gabriel Bortoleto reported brake issues, continuing the rookie woes. He later received a 5-second time penalty for an unsafe release and ultimately slid off the track, ending his race.
At the checkered flag, only two of the six rookies who started the race finished with Antonelli taking advantage of all the interruptions to convert a 16th place start into a 6th place finish as he too received a 5-second time penalty for an unsafe release.
Mixed Bag Ferrari Debut for Lewis Hamilton
Throughout the race, frequent radio exchanges between Hamilton and his new race engineer, Riccardo Adami, highlighted the adjustment period that comes with switching teams. Hamilton’s frustration was particularly evident when Adami instructed him to deploy the battery for overtaking, emphasizing an often-overlooked aspect of a driver’s transition—their dynamic with the race engineer. Unlike his long-standing partnership with Peter Bonnington (known as Bono), where communication was seamless, Hamilton and Adami will need time to develop the same level of understanding—knowing when he prefers information and what type of feedback is most effective.
The team also took a gamble during the third safety car, keeping Hamilton and Leclerc out on hard tires while every other car pitted for intermediates. However, they quickly realized the track was simply too wet and called both drivers in, losing them several positions in the process, drawing further ire from the 7-time World Champion.
Bittersweet Start for Williams
Both Williams drivers made it into the third qualifying session, with Albon qualifying 6th and Sainz 10th, showing the potential of their improved car and new driver lineup. Unfortunately, Sainz’s race started on a rough note as he crashed during the safety car period. However, not all was lost for Williams, as Alex Albon finished 5th, holding off several attacks from Lewis Hamilton for much of the first part of the race to maintain his position
Racing Refresh Driver of the Day
Alexander Albon, Williams
Final Points Finishing Positions
1st: Lando Norris
2nd: Max Verstappen
3rd: George Russell
4th: Andrea Kimi Antonelli
5th: Alex Albon
6th: Lance Stroll
7th: Nico Hulkenberg
8th: Charles Leclerc
9th: Oscar Piastri
10th: Lewis Hamilton
Next on the F1 Schedule:
Chinese Grand Prix: March 21st-23rd
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