F1Weekly Podcast # 1086

Lando Norris wins chaotic wet Australian Grand Prix! Piastri caught out by rain, four rookies fail to finish, Antonelli shines, Max gets close but no cigar, George, Kimi and Albon in the top five. Frustrated Lewis Hamilton swears over the radio.

More classic Nasir Hameed this week with History of Clay Regazzoni after his passing in 2006 and, our Interview: Jos “the boss” Verstappen.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 16: Second placed Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing Race winner Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren Rob Marshall, Chief Designer of McLaren and Third placed George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 16, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Max:

“It was a good result for us and an enjoyable but hectic race. The conditions were fairly difficult and slippery but we managed to keep it out of the wall and stay out of trouble, which was the most important thing, so I am happy with that. It was hard for us to pass the McLarens, and we were struggling with the tyres overheating and tyre degradation. I think this is even more evident on intermediates as the compound is even softer than the slicks.

They were better at controlling the temperature of the tyres and were pulling away from us quite easily, so it will help a lot if we work to keep our tyres in a better window. However, we scored 18 more points than we did last time we were in Melbourne, so this is an improvement on last year and was fun in the end. Even if we pitted later we would have been P2 so I am happy with the result. We only have a few days before we are in China so not sure how much we will be able to find and turn around but will work hard to improve. Again, it is the first race of the season and we went for it and learnt a lot, so this is a positive start.”

LIAM:

“This whole weekend was pretty terrible. Today we were too slow at the start and then we gambled. It nearly worked, but it wasn’t to be. Starting from the pitlane was tough and we just didn’t really have the speed in the first stint on the inter. We struggled with the fronts too much, so we will analyse and look at that in detail before the next race. On slick tyres it was quite competitive for that couple of laps but then it started raining again.

We took a chance staying out on the medium and hoping half the track would stay dry. We knew that sector three was bad but we thought sector one would stay a little bit drier, so we risked it but it was bucketing down with rain. At that point I had backed out of pushing because it was so wet and I was just trying to stay on track. It has been a pretty horrible weekend and a struggle as a whole, but we take plenty of learning. For that I am grateful and I am just looking forward to going to China and resetting.”

YUKI:

“The timing of the pit didn’t go our way today, it was too late and suddenly I dropped to P11 after the Safety Car. The pace was there and we didn’t make many mistakes, until the last bit of rain. I did what I can, I was pretty happy with how my performance was. We’ll definitely revise what happened and learn from this for the future. We need to make sure we’re not making the same mistakes, especially with the field being so tight this year, every single point is very important. It’s not ideal, but we can take a lot of positives from this weekend; we had pace and if we can maximise performance, we can have a good race weekend, we’ll just have to keep performing like this and come back strong.”

Alexander Albon (THA) Atlassian Williams Racing celebrates his fourth position with James Vowles (GBR) Atlassian Williams Racing Team Principal. 16.03.2025. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 1, Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia, Race Day.

CARLOS:

Carlos Sainz: First of all, a massive congratulations to Alex and the team; he did a great job and started off our season on the right foot. For me, we’ve looked at the data and could quickly spot what happened, so this leaves me calmer about the situation. Without going into details, it’s related to the upshifts when in Safety Car Mode. I’m obviously frustrated about it and feel sorry for everyone in the team. I spent the rest of the race trying to help on the radio and I’m happy I could at least participate in that way. Thankfully China is already next weekend and I can’t wait to jump back in the car

ALEX:

Alex Albon: I’m really happy. It was such a crazy race, I’m still trying to get my head around it! It’s fantastic for the team – a P5 is very special and may not come around many times this year. Our strategist did an amazing job. Honestly, it was so difficult out there; these conditions are typically what we hate and, despite all of that, we were still one of the strongest midfield runners out there. Points like today mean a lot and I’m positive about what’s to come. We’re a very bonded team, it was great to have Carlos helping on the pit wall too. This is for everyone at Grove, for all their work.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 16: Lance Stroll of Canada driving the (18) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR25 Mercedes heads to the grid prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 16, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Glenn Dunbar/LAT Images)

FERNANDO:

“It was a challenging race today with the wet conditions and I was a little unlucky in the end. I was battling inside the top 10 and felt like I was in the mix with others around me. I drove the same line at Turn Six, but there was some gravel there which caused me to lose control. There are some weaknesses in the car that we need to tackle, but if we execute a good weekend then it looks like we can score points this season. We get to have another go next week in China.”