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The 2025 F1 Australian GP was a litmus test not many drivers would have hoped for straight at the start of the season. We had rain, greasy conditions, safety car stoppages, and dry spells.
Amid all of this, we witnessed a close fight for the win and the podium and some diabolically strange calls by teams. All in all, the F1 Australian GP was a spectacle and a test that separates the good from the great.
In the end, we had Lando Norris on top followed by Max Verstappen and George Russell. But how did every driver fare at the F1 Australian GP this weekend? Let's take a look.
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Criteria
- Performance in both qualifying and races is judged.
- Results achieved compared to the potential of the car.
- Mistakes made over the weekend.
- Relative performance against teammate.
2025 F1 Australian GP: Rating the drivers
McLaren
Lando Norris
Rating: 9.5
In terms of results, it could not have gone better for Lando Norris considering the amount of obstacles he had to overcome. He was stretched by Oscar Piastri in qualifying. Then in the race as well, he never had it easy with either his teammate or rival Max Verstappen.
In the end, Lando has shown an improved form which could help him cut down on significant mistakes. Why cut half a point? Well, that trip to the gravel could have ended things.
Oscar Piastri
Rating: 5.5
There are two sides to Oscar Piastri's weekend in his home race, the first being that the Australian appeared to be closer to Lando Norris than he otherwise has been. At the same time, Piastri made the grave mistake of beaching his car into the gravel.
In essence, there is no way that such a thing is inexcusable, and hence the rating.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc
Rating: 7
It was a decent overall race weekend from Charles Leclerc. Except for the mistake he made when it started raining, Leclerc was more or less in control of what he could deliver in the car.
The Monegasque was once again thwarted by the strategy, and he might be getting very irritated about the fact that he cannot trust his team when it comes to this.
Lewis Hamilton
Rating: 6.5
Post F1 Australian GP was the first time the veneer of positivity slipped a little from Lewis Hamilton. Why? Well, the strategic gamble from Ferrari made little to no sense.
In terms of performance, Lewis Hamilton doesn't have much to worry about. The driver had decent pace throughout the weekend, but it's safe to say that the seven-time champion is not fully comfortable with the car and the team yet, and it's going to take a few races.
Red Bull
Max Verstappen
Rating: 9
Max Verstappen almost won the F1 Australian GP, but if we told anyone just the final result, they wouldn't know the story behind it. This was a brilliant race with impeccable execution from Verstappen and his team.
The car is not fast enough, so that's something that Verstappen has been spot on about. On his part, and even if we talk about the championship, this was probably the best result the Dutchman could have hoped for.
Liam Lawson
Rating: 3
It wasn't a perfect start to a weekend for Liam Lawson, but even if that is down to the car, the Kiwi just cannot afford to be this far behind his teammate. There was a lot of similarity to Sergio Perez in how Lawson's weekend ended (including the crash).
Lawson needs to improve, and this kind of start has amplified the pressure on his head.
Mercedes
George Russell
Rating: 8.5
That's the best that the Mercedes was capable of, and George Russell made sure he extracted the most from the car. A solid start to the year for the Brit as he tries to solidify himself as the team leader.
Kimi Antonelli
Rating: 7.5
A below-par qualifying followed by a stunningly impressive race sums up Kimi Antonelli's maiden F1 weekend. The racecraft by the driver is quite impressive, and the fact that there were laps today where he was even faster than George is something that should be highlighted.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso
Rating: 7.5
In all fairness, especially since Fernando Alonso himself has made it a point to show it to the world, the crash was not his fault. It was the fault of the gravel making it to the track after Gasly ran over the kerb at the same point.
Before that, the Spaniard was dragging the Aston Martin to all the right places, and a strong result was in store for sure.
Lance Stroll
Rating: 7
There is always this race once in a while where Lance Stroll does exactly what a driver of his talent should do every weekend. The Canadian made sure that he didn't crash out on a weekend where drivers like Carlos Sainz couldn't help but find the barriers.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly
Rating: 6.5
Pierre Gasly had a decent qualifying session, but in the race, he should have been penalized for the way he defended against Charles Leclerc after going off the track at Turn 1. Points were on the table for the F1 Australian GP, but the gamble during the rain took that possibility away from him.
Jack Doohan
Rating: 4
The initial impression from Jack Doohan's first weekend? The performance and potential are there to even match Pierre Gasly. It was just unfortunate that Lewis Hamilton spun on Doohan's push lap in Q2, and then the race was a case of making a rookie error.
Haas
Esteban Ocon
Rating: 6
This season is going to be very hard to judge how good or bad Esteban Ocon is doing because not only is Haas the slowest, but it's quite a few tenths behind the 9th fastest car. Ocon kept his nose clean throughout the race and did everything right.
It's just unfortunate that there's not much to measure him on, as there wasn't much of a competition that the French driver was a part of.
Ollie Bearman
Rating: 3
This was poor from Ollie Bearman as the young Brit ended his F1 Australian GP race weekend even before it began with two huge crashes. The race was more or less, but it's not much you can do when the car is the slowest anyway. A horrible start to life in Formula 1 for the young driver.
Racing Bulls
Yuki Tsunoda
Rating: 7.5
The lap in qualifying was stunning from Yuki. The overall racecraft was impressive as well. Unfortunately, however, when the team takes a bold call and the call goes wrong, it does not look good.
The F1 Australian GP race weekend could have been a lot more than what it ended up being for Tsunoda.
Isack Hadjar
Rating: 4
Isack Hadjar tearing up in the pit lane was a sight that nobody would have wanted to see at the start of the F1 Australian GP, but that's what we got ultimately. The French driver has pace, but the polish is still missing, and that would be something that he'll be looking to work on in the upcoming races.
Williams
Alex Albon
Rating: 8.5
A weekend where Alex Albon lays down the gauntlet for everyone! Coming into the F1 Australian GP, all the talk was around Carlos Sainz, but when it mattered, Albon got the better qualifying position and the result while the Spaniard sat in the pit box after his first lap crash.
Carlos Sainz
Rating: 4
Carlos Sainz is maybe still lacking the confidence to push the car to its limit because that's where he fell off against Alex Albon in qualifying. The crash in the F1 Australian GP was unfortunate, as there was so much more that the driver could have potentially achieved in the race.
Sauber
Nico Hulkenberg
Rating: 8.5
It has only taken one weekend from Nico Hulkenberg for Sauber to get its money's worth. The team has now scored more points in the 2025 F1 Australian GP than it did in the 2024 season in its entirety.
This was a P7 finish achieved in the second slowest car. The car had no business being involved in points-paying positions, but the fact that Hulkenberg could keep his nose clean and have some very impressive pace late in the F1 Australian GP shows the value the German has already brought to the team.
Gabriel Bortoleto
Rating: 5.5
The F1 Australian GP showed that Gabriel Bortoleto has pace, but he also has one more thing, and that is the ability to respond to some of the nonsensical claims. The Brazilian has shown promise, but crashing out of the race wasn't ideal.
