Chaos Erupts in Melbourne as F1 Kicks Off the 2025 Season

Following months of anticipation, the 2025 Formula 1 season has finally arrived.

Moreover, the season-starting Australian Grand Prix could result in complete pandemonium.

In Melbourne, rain and showers extended into the afternoon, leading to the cancellation of the F2 race due to the damp conditions. Instead of watching vehicles on the circuit, spectators witnessed ducks navigating through puddles at the Albert Park Circuit.

Despite being on a formation lap for the F2 race, the ducks remained close by:

Although the rainfall has subsided in Melbourne, many drivers opted for full wet tires during the formation lap before the F1 race. The only exception was Lewis Hamilton, who, just prior to his debut with Ferrari, chose to have a set of green-walled intermediate tires mounted on his SF-25.

We'll be tracking each lap of the Australian Grand Prix, so join us as the 2025 F1 season kicks off.

All updates will be provided in Eastern Time before the race starts or based on Laps.

2025 Australian Grand Prix Television Coverage

Below are the preliminary results from the Australian Grand Prix:

Lap 57: It’s Norris! He manages to hold off Verstappen to win the Australian Grand Prix. Russell completes the podium finish, and although Antonelli comes in fourth, a recent five-second penalty for an unsafe release will push him back to fifth place, which moves Albon up to fourth.

Incredible stuff.

The remaining points are awarded to Stroll at position 6, Hülkenberg at position 7, Leclerc at position 8, Piastri at position 9, and Hamilton at position 10.

Lap 57: Antonelli overtakes Albon for fourth place, however, he faces scrutiny due to an unsafe release which might lead to a five-second penalty.

Lap 57: The final lap of the Australian Grand Prix has begun, with Norris leading Verstappen by only 0.549 seconds.

Lap 55: Piastri manages to overtake Gasly, who had previously driven into the grass and allowed Leclerc, Hamilton, and ultimately Piastri to pass him.

Antonelli is close enough to overtake Albon who is ahead of him using DRS.

At the forefront, Verstappen is close enough to use DRS on Norris.

Lap 54: The activation of DRS has been approved by the race officials.

Piastri remains in P11 but is still within DRS reach of Gasly who is in P10.

Lap 53: With five more laps remaining, the present top ten lineup is: Norris, Verstappen, Russell, Albon, Antonelli, Stroll, Hülkenberg, Gasly, Leclerc, and Hamilton.

Piastri is positioned in P11, trailing Hamilton by 1.4 seconds.

Lap 52: The green flag is waving again in Melbourne. Norris has gained a lead of 1.185 seconds over Verstappen, with Russell closely following Verstappen for second place.

Lap 51: The Safety Car will conclude its deployment this lap. Norris will be ahead of Verstappen when they resume racing.

Lap 50: TheSafety Car is still deployed, but the lapped vehicles are now un-lapping themselves; thus, we ought to return to green flag conditions very soon.

Lap 48: Ferrari opts for a double-stack strategy, bringing both Hamilton and Leclerc in simultaneously as they transition to intermediate tires.

Lap 47: Lawson and Bortoleto both crashed into the barrier.

Total pandemonium in Melbourne. The Safety Car has been deployed.

Lap 46: Verstappen switches to intermediate tires. Norris holds sixth place with intermediate tires, while all drivers ahead of him have chosen slick tires.

Hamilton remains behind! He lunges ahead to take the lead during his inaugural race with Ferrari using a set of hard tires, but will he be able to maintain it?

Lap 46: Verstappen remains on track once more. He’s taking his chances with the medium tires. Meanwhile, Piastri heads for the pit lane and emerges equipped with intermediate tires.

Lap 45: Piastri tumbles onto the grass and could be out of contention. Meanwhile, Verstappen remains on track using mediums. Norris comes into the pit lane for a fresh set of intermediates.

Lap 44: The rain has come. "Your response to the impending flood will determine who wins the first race of the season," stated Alex Jacques on F1TV.

Gabriel Bortoleto has received a five-second penalty due to an unsafe exit from the pit lane.

Lap 42: Ferrari informs Leclerc that "Class 3" rainfall is approaching. Leclerc responds that this will be quite heavy.

Norris stays ahead of Piastri, with Verstappen occupying the third position.

Lap 41: The Safety Car will conclude this lap. Expect some tension among the crew members from various teams as they wait.

Lap 40: McLaren informs Norris that the rainfall could potentially intensify beyond their expectations, and Norris brings up the possibility of changing to intermediate tires now, with the Safety Car still being deployed.

In the meantime, Haas has switched Bearman and Ocon to medium tires, abandoning their strategy with the intermediates.

Lap 38: F1TV is presently discussing whether a "sprinkling" or a "smattering" of rain is expected to fall.

Ocon radioes to Haas saying "We understand our reasoning for this," since he and Bearman are the sole drivers remaining on intermediate tires. Haas appears to be counting on heavier rainfall, which makes sense considering they're positioned at 14th and 15th place, where both Ocon and Bearman currently stand.

Lap 37: The Safety Car continues for another round on Lap 37. McLaren informs both Piastri and Norris about potential "a single lap with rainfall ranging from Class 2 to 3," expected between Lap 45 and 50.

The sky also appears quite dusky.

Norris appears less than confident about the update provided by his team.

Lap 35: Piastri and Norris both head into the pits and choose hards. Verstappen goes with mediums instead.

Lap 34: Starting from seventh position onwards, all drivers head to the pits. Albon opts for a medium compound tire, followed by Hülkenberg. Meanwhile, Hamilton, Gasly, Antonelli, and Stroll choose to use hard tires.

Lap 34: Alonso crashes into the barrier at Turn 6, bringing out the Safety Car. It will be intriguing to see which team opts for slick tires in this situation.

Lap 33: Piastri spins off onto the gravel at Turn 6 and loses over two seconds compared to Norris.

McLaren subsequently informs him that he has "the freedom to compete."

So, yeah.

Lap 30: Piastri is instructed to "maintain your current position" even though he is nearing Norris for the lead spot.

Lap 28: Hadjar has reached the VCARB pit wall where he is met with embraces from his teammates. This warm welcome is evident given how moved the rookie driver was following his spin during the formation lap.

During the race, Hamilton appears somewhat irritated with his engineer, once more requesting them to "let me handle this."

Just a bit further back from Hamilton, the driver who took his place, Antonelli, is narrowing the gap towards Alonso ahead of him aiming for the 10th position.

Lap 26: Piastri has narrowed the gap to just 1.285 seconds behind Norris at the head of the pack. However, the distance between Piastri and Verstappen remains more than 14 seconds.

Lap 25: Hamilton attempts to make a maneuver on Albon at Turn 11, but the Williams driver shuts the door.

Leclerc reports that he must have a leak since his seat is "filled with water." Upon being informed that it must be water, he responds, "Let's include that among the pearls of wisdom."

Leclerc focusing on mastering his 'tight five' at Chuckle Hut as he races in an F1 event. Unbelievable.

Lap 23: Currently, the most exciting competition on the racetrack may be unfolding as Albon goes head-to-head with Hamilton for seventh place. However, Hamilton informs his team at Ferrari about losing "gear sync," a development that warrants attention.

Lap 22: Alex Jacques remarks on F1TV that rain is pouring down and spectators are opening their umbrellas at the circuit. McLaren informs Piastri that the rain should stop within "about three laps."

Lap 21: Hamilton, Tsunoda, and Alonso have likewise received clearance regarding possible violations during theSafety Car phases.

Lap 20: Race officials have exonerated Albon regarding a possible violation during theSafety Car period.

Lap 20 The difference between Piastri in second place and Verstappen in third is currently 5.750 seconds. The McLaren cars are distancing themselves from the rest of the pack at this moment.

Lap 18: The McLarens have returned to the forefront, with Norris outpacing Piastri.

Albon and Hamilton have both faced scrutiny for potential Safety Car violations. Officials are now looking into Alonso and Tsunoda as well, possibly for similar infractions.

Verstappen communicates over the radio that they might need to stop for fresh tires if there is any rainfall.

Lap 17: Verstappen veers off course, giving Piastri an opportunity to seize second place.

Lap 17: During a significant spin at Turn 4, Antonelli keeps his W16 from hitting the barrier and drops just one spot to Nico Hülkenberg. This places him in fourteenth place during his debut Formula One race.

Lap 14: Verstappen and Norris have both deviated from the primary racing line multiple times, whether to chill their intermediate tires or to explore alternative routes.

Lap 14: McLaren informs Norris that the probability of rain is "on the rise." Over his shoulder, this development has sparked a three-car battle. The distance between Piastri in third place and Russell in fourth position is already more than six seconds.

Lap 12: The race organizers have announced that DRS has been activated due to improving track conditions. Although Norris leads Verstappen by more than one second, Piastri is only 0.495 seconds back from the Red Bull racer, positioning himself at P2.

Lap 11: Following Verstappen narrowing the gap to just 0.311 seconds behind him, Norris increased his advantage over the Red Bull racer to more than one second. At present, the difference between them stands at 1.145 seconds.

Ferrari instructs Leclerc to reduce the temperature of the front left tire, but Leclerc responds via radio that he "appreciates" the advice, though he indicates that he is managing the situation himself.

Lap 9: Verstappen has narrowed the gap to just 0.311 seconds behind Norris for the top spot in the race.

Race officials have flagged both Fernando Alonso and Yuki Tsunoda for potentially violating Safety Car rules.

Lap 8: The green flag has been waved, and the race is back underway in Melbourne. For now at least.

Lap 7: TheSafety Car will conclude this lap. Norris informs McLaren that the intermediate tires remain the appropriate choice at present, but predicts that slicks will become necessary later unless the rain intensifies.

Lap 6: The safety car continues to stay on the track. Norris appears nearly as though he’s competing with it at the forefront of the pack.

Lap 5: Both Ocon and Lawson stop for fresh sets of green-walled intermediate tires.

Lap 4: Mercedes informs Andrea Kimi Antonelli via the radio that video replays indicate Doohan may have spun because his wheel touched one of the painted lines. Antonelli mentions he nearly experienced the same issue, adding that "these areas can be quite slick."

Lap 2: The safety car has been deployed following Doohan’s crash. Video replays highlight what happened with Doohan. However, just as they start showing another angle of Doohan’s accident, F1TV switches focus to reveal Carlos Sainz Jr. hitting the barrier. A spin at Turn 14 caused his vehicle to drift into the wall.

Lap 1: Jack Doohan encounters the barrier between Turns 5 and 6, and another newcomer departs from the competition.

12:19: Lando Norris maintains his position at the start of the race as Verstappen attempts to pass him by going wide. Later, Verstappen manages to overtake Piastri and takes up the second spot, followed by Piastri in third place, Russell in fourth, and Leclerc rounding out the top five.

12:15: The Formation Lap 2.0 has started.

12:12: Ferrari informs Charles Leclerc via the radio that they can expect two rapid sequences of "Class 1" rainfall shortly after the race begins. On F1TV, former strategist Ruth Buscombe Divey explains that "Class 1" rain generally means precipitation sufficient enough to moisten the circuit surface according to Formula One squads.

12:08: F1TV keeps broadcasting footage of an disheartened Hadjar as he makes his way back to the VCARB hospitality area, when suddenly Anthony Hamilton—Lewis’s father—approaches to comfort the young racer. It's quite an extraordinary moment.

12:06: As per race control instructions, the formation lap is scheduled to begin at 3:15 p.m. local time (12:15 p.m. Eastern Time) for East Coasters.

12:04: Before Hadjar’s intervention, 19 out of the 20 racers had chosen intermediate tires. Lance Stroll alone opted for the full wet compound.

12:03: The race officials have just called for a restart due to an aborted start.

12:01: Isack Hadjar spins during the formation lap and crashes into the wall. His rear wing is damaged, and he appears to be out of the race even before it begins.

12:00: The formation lap has started in Melbourne.

11:51: Christian Horner from F1TV Red Bull isn’t sure whether the race will begin with a grid start or under a safety car because of the rainy weather.

11:45: Because of modifications to his RB21 during parc fermé, Liam Lawson will begin the race from the pit lane. Similarly, he will be joined by newcomer Oliver Bearman, as Haas altered the suspension settings on Bearman’s VF-25 under parc fermé regulations.