The inaugural Formula 1 race of 2025 at the Australian Grand Prix has left the audience on the edge of their seats as the competitive tension rose significantly after the first day of practice. Despite the initial apprehensions from Bahrain testing, indicating a possible one-sided victory for McLaren, the performance on Friday suggested that Ferrari, led by Charles Leclerc, might just put up a tough fight against the papaya cars.
The analysis of the teams’ performance is far from straightforward, thanks to their varied strategies during the runs. In the single-lap part with soft tyres, Ferrari’s Leclerc led the times, surpassing McLarens by over 0.1s. However, it’s noteworthy that the McLaren timings were recorded at the end of seven-lap runs by both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, while Leclerc’s time was the result of a two-lap attack sequence.
Interestingly, McLarens seemed to adopt lower drag levels than their main competitors, gaining more speed on the straights and compensating for the losses around the corners. This could suggest that Ferrari, carrying more downforce, might be gentler on the rear tyres – a theory supported by the long runs. Leclerc indeed pulled off two faster laps towards the end of his 12-lap stint than either of the McLarens at that time, but was it just a result of starting at a lower pace?
When it came to the race simulation stints, McLarens exhibited the most reliable speed, putting them at the forefront until Leclerc’s late-run laps. With Leclerc having that extra time in his pocket, the showdown between the two cars is set to be a captivating spectacle come Saturday.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton trailed Leclerc’s pace by around 0.4s during a qualifying simulation and was slower by a few tenths over the 12-lap race run. Hamilton acknowledged the unique character of the car, stating, “The car felt so much different to what I’ve ever experienced coming to this track.” He also mentioned that they are gradually improving and getting faster.
Mercedes’ performance left much to be desired as it struggled to leverage the increased grip of the challenging soft C5 tyre, leaving its drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli lagging in the headline times. Yet, the car showed reasonable speed when the other teams were on the C4 medium. Both Russell and Antonelli opted for the C3 hard tyre for their long runs, which is considered the optimal tyre for a race stint, but this strategy may not reflect the full potential of the car, particularly in preparing the C5 for a qualifying lap.
Russell expressed optimism saying, “There’s clearly a bit of pace in the car, and it’s just getting the most out of the tyres so we need to understand why that is.” Mercedes has apparently committed to a wet race forecast, and if the race turns out to be dry, the hard tyre becomes the preferred option, but now its drivers are left with only one set each.
Red Bull, with its driver Max Verstappen, still seems to be in the early stages of optimizing its car. Verstappen struggled to maintain a consistent balance when on the C5 and was around 0.5s off over a single lap.
The Williams team, with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, also showed promise. Despite their positions in the headline times, the performance of the Williams cars has been commendable. Sainz was second in FP1 and his performance on the medium tyre in the first part of FP2 was on par with Mercedes and Hamilton’s Ferrari.
At the end of the day, it’s a tight race upfront between McLaren and Ferrari, with Mercedes and Red Bull holding potential pace. Williams and Racing Bulls also seem capable of surprising the big teams.
In contrast, Alpine, Aston Martin, and Haas had a disappointing day, especially Oliver Bearman who didn’t participate in FP2 following his heavy FP1 crash. Sauber, however, showed significant improvement since Bahrain, with Nico Hulkenberg demonstrating a potentially Q2 level of performance.
The race is heating up, and it’s anyone’s guess who will come out on top. The stage is set for a thrilling showdown at the Australian Grand Prix.
