The 2025 F1 season opener in Australia was well worth the wait. Fans were treated to a chaotic mixed conditions race that challenged even the most seasoned drivers. It was especially harsh for the 6 rookies with only 2 finishing the race – Andrea Kimi Antonelli standing out with an impressive drive. Ultimately, Lando Norris converted his pole into a victory, closely followed by Verstappen in his Red Bull, as George Russell quietly completed the podium.
The eventful race overshadowed Saturday’s dry qualifying session, where McLaren secured a dominant 1-2. Norris claimed pole over teammate Oscar Piastri by 0.084 seconds, continuing last season’s trend (20-4 qualifying head to head in Norris’s favour).
To grasp how far ahead the McLarens were, Piastri qualified second with a 1:15.180, comfortably ahead of Verstappen (1:15.481). Russell followed in fourth with a 1:15.546, Yuki Tsunoda impressed with fifth (1:15.670), and Alex Albon took sixth (1:15.737). The gaps show a clear advantage to the Papaya cars, with Verstappen’s time closer to Albon’s in sixth than Piastri’s in second.
F1 fans will know that such a gap may not last. Last year Red Bull started strong, with Verstappen dominating early in the Red Bull, only for the car advantage to diminish rapidly. By the end of the season Verstappen was driving what looked like the fourth-fastest car. Nonetheless, McLaren appears well placed to capitalise early and will aim to maintain their advantage in pursuit of consecutive Constructors Championships.
The Papaya team enters 2025 without an obvious number two driver. Norris is incredibly quick, delivering a champion’s performance in Australia to take victory. While other drivers struggled, including veteran Fernando Alonso who crashed out on lap 34, Norris’s drive was assured. There was a moment on lap 44 turn 12, which caught out both Norris and Piastri, who was running close behind. While Norris managed to avoid losing track position and stayed in the lead, Piastri was less fortunate, ending up on the grass and having to rejoin in P13.
With valuable lessons learned from last season’s battle with Verstappen and McLaren holding the car advantage, Norris enters this season as the favourite to win it all. Yet, if McLaren continue to dominate, Oscar Piastri could become Norris’s biggest threat. Piastri is an equally talented driver, joining the F1 grid after consecutive F3 and F2 title victories. Now starting his 3rd season in F1, Piastri has enough experience to be a very serious contender for this year’s championship. Only last season many fans considered Piastri the better driver with bold overtakes such as his move on Norris at Monza, which undermined his teammate’s championship bid. While Norris maintains a slight pace advantage, particularly in qualifying, Piastri’s ability and competitive mindset cannot be overlooked.
Piastri’s final result in Australia was disappointing. However, following his spin which dropped him down to P13, Piastri refused to give in, fighting his way back to P9 with a breathtaking last-lap overtake on Hamilton to grab an extra point. He enters 2025 with high ambitions, determined to claim every point available to him. Norris, meanwhile looks just as ambitious, coming into this fresh season with a new confidence.
While both McLaren drivers are young and equally talented, they have contrasting personalities and do not seem to share a particularly close friendship off track. The car advantage will ensure they are rarely far apart on track, setting up plenty of early battles, with Piastri likely lining up alongside Norris and eyeing a move in the opening turns.
Is this a title fight that will fail to materialise, or the beginning of a rivalry set to ignite? We saw early signs of tension last season, and provided McLaren does not clumsily impose ‘Papaya rules’ once again, the sparks could well catch fire in 2025. With the season opener now behind us, eyes turn to the Chinese GP, where this season moves into full swing, and this emerging rivalry may begin to take shape.