2025 F1 Australian GP FP1 and FP2: Key Takeaways

The first day of the 2025 F1 Australian GP race weekend ends with Charles Leclerc at the top of the timesheets. The Ferrari driver's lap time on the soft tire saw him clinch the top spot ahead of the McLaren duo. Oscar Piastri was second fastest at the end of the session, and Lando Norris was third.

Lewis Hamilton kicked off life at Ferrari with a top 5 start as well, while we have the Racing Bulls pair of Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar in P4 and P6, respectively. With two hours of running done and dusted in the F1 Australian GP race weekend, what have we learned? Let's take a look.

2025 F1 Australian GP FP1 and FP2: What did we learn?

#1 Ferrari and McLaren are at the front

In our preview, we did mention how we cannot ignore the fact that Ferrari was the dominant car on this track last season. The pre-season test led to quite a few people jumping to conclusions in conditions that are vastly different from what we have in Melbourne.

Looking at the onboards, it does appear that Charles Leclerc finally has a car that he can push to the limit and extract the maximum out of. It's going to be close between the Italian team and McLaren for now, and a lot would depend on qualifying as well.

For Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton is going through an acclimatization phase, and hence the gap between him and Leclerc is more or less expected.

#2 Lack of clarity on Red Bull and Mercedes

Red Bull and Mercedes wouldn't be happy with how the session went. The cars are maybe not in the best shape as compared to the top two teams, but the clear gap is something that will become evident in FP3 and qualifying. For now, though, they appear to be working from a deficit.

#3 Mid-field teams impress

Williams turned heads for sure with Carlos Sainz. Racing Bulls, for the time being, does appear to have run a lighter car for the soft tire runs. Nico Hulkenberg's lap was, however, slightly interesting because even if it was a bit of a glory run, it was almost half a second faster than what the team managed at the track in 2024. Overall, though, the first day of running in the F1 Australian GP has shown that there are a few midfield teams that might be able to mix it up with the top 4 this year.

#4 How are the rookies doing?

Bearman would be disappointed, and so would Ayao Komatsu, who knows Haas cannot afford those crashes. Kimi Antonelli is going through a learning phase, but it's safe to say that he's not yet on Russell's level.

Lawson is unfortunately already getting the Sergio Perez treatment from the media, but it's safe to say that the start to life has not been easy. Bortoleto has been decent and more or less at an acceptable level compared to Hulkenberg. Doohan, however, has been quicker than Gasly in both sessions of the F1 Australian GP, arguably something he just had to achieve if he wants to keep his seat.

#5 What's going on with Haas?

Finally, something's not right with Haas because the car appears to be either woefully off the pace or still sandbagging. The drivers have been at the bottom of the timesheets for the most part throughout the two sessions. All of this despite bringing a massive upgrade package? The Haas situation is a bit puzzling for now, but the F1 Australian GP is going to answer a few things for sure.