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“We always knew the potential”: What Antonelli’s F1 debut revealed about his ability

“We always knew the potential”: What Antonelli’s F1 debut revealed about his ability

Toto Wolff has always praised his rookie driver, but Antonelli’s rise from P16 to P4 on debut has seen him earn the praise of the paddock.

FIA to implement tougher wing flexibility tests from Chinese Grand Prix

FIA to implement tougher wing flexibility tests from Chinese Grand Prix

Behind the DNFs: Race ending incidents at the Australian Grand Prix explained

Behind the DNFs: Race ending incidents at the Australian Grand Prix explained

McLaren out front but not by much: Australia FP2 Race Pace Analysis

McLaren out front but not by much: Australia FP2 Race Pace Analysis

A chaotic season opener? Australian Grand Prix-view

A chaotic season opener? Australian Grand Prix-view

Next Race

Chinese Grand Prix

Location: Shanghai, China

FP1: Mar 21, 11:30am
Sprint Qualifying: Mar 21, 3:30pm
Sprint Race: Mar 22, 11:00am
Qualifying: Mar 22, 3:00pm
Race: Mar 23, 3:00pm

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A strategy blunder costs Ferrari again…😳 The

A strategy blunder costs Ferrari again…😳

The Australian Grand Prix was Ferrari’s worst combined finish since the 2023 British Grand Prix, and interestingly in both of these cases the results came down to strategic mistakes…

In Silverstone 2023, the team planned for a one-stop race and completed their stops for both drivers just before a safety car came out. They also ran compounds that were harder than most others in the field over each stint, as a lack of running in practice had left them concerned about degradation on the softer compounds. 🛞

This meant they not only went too conservative with their compound choices as the degradation proved to not be as bad as they’d expected, but also suffered from pitting too early in Sainz’s case and from pitting twice in Leclerc’s. Leclerc finished P9, while Sainz finished P10…

In Australia, the make or break call was whether to switch from the slick tyres to the intermediates as rain fell in the race’s late stages. The team struggled to assess how heavy and impactful the rain would be as it was falling differently in different parts of the circuit, with sector three being the most affected, and they made the call to try and keep both drivers out on the hard tyre…🌧️

Ultimately this backfired and both drivers were left out for around three laps too long (until lap 47) before they had no choice but to move to the inter…

This wrong call meant they moved from leading the race with Hamilton as others pitted to finishing P10 on Hamilton’s side and P8 on Leclerc’s.

Fred Vasseur admitted that “they paid the price” of this error, so can they learn from it in the future? 🤔

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📸: Scuderia Ferrari Media // By Courtesy of Pirelli
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#f1 #formula1 #scuderiaferrari #lewishamilton #charlesleclerc #carlossainz #fredvasseur #ausgp #australiangp #britishgp #f1history #f1strategy #f1analysis #f1explained #f1racing #f1fans

How Alex Albon earned his best ever finish for Wil

How Alex Albon earned his best ever finish for Williams…👏

Edit: It was Leclerc who spun, and Albon’s 5th place earned him 10 points not 12.
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📸: Williams Racing Media

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#f1 #formula1 #williamsracing #alexalbon #carlossainz #jamesvowles #ausgp #australiangp #f1strategy #f1explained #f1analysis #f1racing #f1fans

What a drive from Kimi! 👏 Kimi Antonelli’s F

What a drive from Kimi! 👏

Kimi Antonelli’s Formula 1 debut saw him gain the most places on where he started of any driver in the field, moving from a P16 grid spot to finish P4 on track in incredibly tough conditions…

While this was initially threatened by a 5-second penalty for an unsafe release, Mercedes lodged a right to review of the penalty which saw it overturned as new halo and helicopter camera footage showed that Kimi didn’t cross into the fast lane before confirming clearance of Nico Hulkenberg’s car and that he also passed the McLaren pits with sufficient room. 🎥

Though the race left Kimi “super happy”, he said there was still “good learning” to be done from his qualifying performance…

A few places back, Nico Hulkenberg recovered from his Q1 exit and resulting P17 grid position to finish P7 for Sauber, bringing them more points in their first race this year than they gained over the entire year in 2024! 😮

While things went positively on Nico’s side, his rookie teammate was one of six drivers to end their races early with incidents aplenty resulting from the slippery track, mixed weather conditions and tight walls. Ultimately, it was these DNFs that allowed drivers like Nico to “pick up the pieces” as he said, but equally they had to be “there when it mattered” 🌧️

Further up the order and Alex Albon’s P5 finish represents significant progress for the Williams team…

James Vowles said it was a “group effort” after Carlos Sainz’s DNF meant he took to the pitwall and influenced the strategy calls that helped Alex to his 10-points finish that could prove crucial by the end of the year 💪

Who impressed you the most with their Australian Grand Prix performance? 👀

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📸: Mercedes AMG Media // Sauber Motorsport AG // LAT Images / Haas F1 Media // Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images @redbull // By Courtesy of Pirelli // Williams Racing Media
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How did Ferrari get it wrong in Melbourne? 🤔 –

How did Ferrari get it wrong in Melbourne? 🤔

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📸: Scuderia Ferrari Media // By Courtesy of Pirelli

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#f1 #formula1 #ausgp #australiangp #scuderiaferrari #lewishamilton #charlesleclerc #fredvasseur #mclaren #redbullracing #maxverstappen #landonorris #oscarpiastri #f1explained #f1analysis #f1racing #f1fans

For the first time in almost three years, a driver

For the first time in almost three years, a driver other than Max Verstappen has taken the lead of the drivers’ championship 😮

Lando Norris’ victory of the Australian Grand Prix has earned him the first 25-points haul of the year, putting him P1 in the drivers’ championship head of Max Verstappen and George Russell.

This means that, for the first time in 1029 days or since the Spanish Grand Prix in 2022, a driver other than Max Verstappen is leading the championship and means that the longest streak of a championship lead in F1 history has been broken…🏆

Can Lando retain this for as long as Max did? 👀

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📸: Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images @redbull // By Courtesy of Pirelli
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#f1 #formula1 #f1facts #f1stats #ausgp #australiangp #maxverstappen #redbullracing #landonorris #mclaren #f1championship #f1racing #f1fans

The last time it rained on race day in Melbourne w

The last time it rained on race day in Melbourne was pure chaos 😳

The second race of the 2010 season was the last time wet conditions were seen on race day at Albert Park, and they caused a fair bit of chaos that led to Jenson Button’s debut win for McLaren and 10 DNFs out of 24 drivers…😮

Jenson’s win has been credited to the brave call he made to move to slick tyres on lap 7, which was considered risky as most teams believed there was more rain still to come. By lap 9 though, the majority of the field had begun moving to the dry tyres, making Jenson’s early call pay off!

Action and battles continued as the track quickly dried, but a late braking incident for Sebastian Vettel, who had been leading, put him out of the race and into the gravel, and Button into the lead…

The chequered flag waved for Button to claim the victory, Robert Kubica to finish P2 and Felipe Massa to round out the podium for Ferrari. 🏆

Plenty of action and chaos will likely be the story for tomorrow’s Grand Prix if the predicted rain comes to fruition, with the Albert Park circuit known for getting very slippery in the rain. 🌧️

If it begins to dry out, the transition between the new construction of the full wet tyre, to the intermediate and then perhaps onto slicks will be critical - so could another brave call pay off? 👀

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📸: Scuderia Ferrari Media // Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images @redbull
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#f1 #formula1 #ausgp #australiangp #f12010 #f1history #jensonbutton #fernandoalonso #sebastianvettel #robertkubica #felipemassa #albertparkcircuit #f1strategy #f1analysis #f1explained #f1racing #f1fans

Have McLaren been hiding pace? 👀 Lando Norris

Have McLaren been hiding pace? 👀

Lando Norris has claimed pole for the Australian Grand Prix by just 0.084s over his teammate in P2 but with almost four tenths back to the Red Bull of Max Verstappen, begging the question - have they been saving their pace all along? 🤔

Lando’s pole time today was just over 8 tenths quicker than the lap time that saw Max Verstappen on the top spot last year, but also 1.219s quicker than his own P4 lap last year - showing the progress these cars and teams have made in just 12 months 👏

The lap times good enough for pole at Albert Park have consistently dropped over this regulation set, but today’s fastest lap was also over 5.3s clear of that in 2019 by Lewis Hamilton…

This is not only due to potential car differences, but also changes that were made ahead of the circuit’s return to the calendar in 2022 that made it faster overall. ⏱️

Today’s qualifying took place in track temperatures around 40°C, but tomorrow it’s looking likely to be a wet race - can McLaren continue to show this advantage in vastly different conditions? 🤔

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#f1 #formula1 #ausgp #australiangp #landonorris #mclaren #oscarpiastri #maxverstappen #redbullracing #charlesleclerc #scuderiaferrari #lewishamilton #mercedesamgf1 #f1pole #f1qualifying #f1analysis #f1explained #f1racing #f1fans

How was Carlos Sainz so closely matched to the McL

How was Carlos Sainz so closely matched to the McLaren in a Williams? 👀

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📸: Williams Racing Media

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#f1 #formula1 #ausgp #australiangp #carlossainz #williamsracing #alexalbon #jamesvowles #landonorris #mclaren #f1data #f1explained #f1analysis #f1racing #f1fans

McLaren lead the way, but there’s not much in it

McLaren lead the way, but there’s not much in it… 🤏

All of the teams and drivers completed race simulations in FP2, giving us our first real insight into how they compare this year 👀

As suspected based on pre-season testing, McLaren are out front with their average lap time over the 19 laps total completed by both drivers being in the low 1:22s. But as Lando Norris had warned on media day, Ferrari are a really close second with Leclerc and Hamilton’s average just over three hundredths away 😮

There’s then just 0.041s from Ferrari to Mercedes, who also look to be on the pace even on the hard tyres before a bigger gap opens up to Williams in 5th who had a great all round opening day of the year! 👏

Though Red Bull are further back, Verstappen only completed a run of seven consecutive laps on the medium tyre which were all between 1:21.506 and 1:23.007, while Liam Lawson’s 9 completed laps were mostly in the 1:23 range - perhaps showing there’s more to come from Max over a long run 🤔

The grand prix is looking like it will be impacted by rain though, so the order that’s emerged in the dry, warm conditions today may be completely reshuffled come Sunday…🌧️

Do any of the teams’ performances surprise you? 👀

*Ollie Bearman didn’t take part in FP2, so Haas’ race pace is from Ocon alone.
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📸: By Courtesy of Pirelli // Scuderia Ferrari Media // Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images @redbull // Mercedes AMG Media // Williams Racing Media // Aston Martin F1 Media // Alpine Global Media Center // LAT Images / Haas F1 Media // Sauber Motorsport AG
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#f1 #formula1 #ausgp #australiangp #albertparkcircuit #f1data #f1pace #mclaren #scuderiaferrari #mercedesamgf1 #williamsracing #racingbulls #redbullracing #astonmartinf1 #alpinef1team #haasf1 #stakef1team #f1analysis #f1explained #f1racing #f1fans

The story behind a special trophy…🏆 The Aust

Australian Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli, F1 driver for Mercedes at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix.

“We always knew the potential”: What Antonelli’s F1 debut revealed about his ability

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 16: The FIA Safety Car leads Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 16, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Lubomir Asenov/LAT Images)

Behind the DNFs: Race ending incidents at the Australian Grand Prix explained

Oscar Piastri, F1 driver for McLaren Racing, Free Practice at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park, Melbourne.

McLaren out front but not by much: Australia FP2 Race Pace Analysis

Albert Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Aerial View.

A chaotic season opener? Australian Grand Prix-view

Driver Market

Ryo Hirokawa (left) and Franco Colapinto (right) sign as Alpine reserve drivers.

Why Alpine have expanded their driver pool despite having their 2025 lineup secured

Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson in Visa Cash App RB F1 Team uniform.

Why have Red Bull promoted Lawson over Tsunoda? What the data says

Valtteri Bottas winks at the camera at the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas reveals ‘What’s Next?’ as he returns to Mercedes as a reserve driver

Sergio Perez prepares his helmet in the Red Bull Racing garage.

Sergio Perez leaves Red Bull Racing with immediate effect

Sergio Perez enters the Abu Dhabi paddock.

“He’s been such a great team player” – Christian Horner hints at an unusual end to Perez’s “really disappointing” season

Kevin Magnussen.

Kevin Magnussen announces his post-F1 racing future with BMW

Ryo Hirokawa (left) and Franco Colapinto (right) sign as Alpine reserve drivers.

Why Alpine have expanded their driver pool despite having their 2025 lineup secured

Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson in Visa Cash App RB F1 Team uniform.

Why have Red Bull promoted Lawson over Tsunoda? What the data says

Valtteri Bottas winks at the camera at the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas reveals ‘What’s Next?’ as he returns to Mercedes as a reserve driver

Sergio Perez prepares his helmet in the Red Bull Racing garage.

Sergio Perez leaves Red Bull Racing with immediate effect

Sergio Perez enters the Abu Dhabi paddock.

“He’s been such a great team player” – Christian Horner hints at an unusual end to Perez’s “really disappointing” season

2026 Regulations

Render of Cadillac and General Motors Formula 1 car, as they prepare to enter in 2026.

Cadillac formally approved to join the F1 grid in 2026

Charles Leclerc, driver for Scuderia Ferrari, tests Pirelli's 2026 Formula 1 tyres at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya.

Are the narrower 2026 tyres “worse”? Pirelli continue development for the new regulations

Render of Cadillac and General Motors Formula 1 car, as they prepare to enter in 2026.

Cadillac formally approved to join the F1 grid in 2026

Charles Leclerc, driver for Scuderia Ferrari, tests Pirelli's 2026 Formula 1 tyres at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya.

Are the narrower 2026 tyres “worse”? Pirelli continue development for the new regulations