Formula 1 2025 – WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

Posted by: jimster01

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Qualifying was a turn up for the books

Not quite sure it was. Same suspects at the front. Hamilton mid pack behind Leclerc. Although nice to see the Williams up there.

Big thing is going to be race pace and tyre management. People like Mark Hughes seem to think that McLaren have a big advantage in race pace. Among the cars behind them, whoever can manage the tyres best should fill that final podium spot. I'm hoping it's Albon, would be great to see a Williams sharing the podium with McLarens again.

Nice to see Williams doing well.

Oh, and rain tomorrow is likely to turn it into a bit of a lottery.

I wonder how mclaren are going to play the race, whoever is first into the first corner is safe for the lap, or let them race. Bearing in mind what happened last year at Monza when Norris went from 1st to 3rd. 

It will take Ferrari a few races to work on their set-up. Going from push-rod to pull-rod front suspension is no small thing.

It’s probably been done now so they can perfect it for next season.

Lawson shouldn’t be making rookie mistakes as he’s no rookie.

Not sure how Haas have gone so badly downhill - they finished last season pretty well.

Can Lando get a decent start?

Depends how wet it is!! Rain forecast for start of the race.

I hope they are aware they can be fined for driving in a cycle lane in Melbourne…

Just watching C4 highlights....why is George Russell yellow??

Can Lando get a decent start?

Oscar in P1 by the first corner if it’s dry. All bets off if it’s wet

Well Lawson has got one new fan...

It’s alarms slammed off - and away we go!…

…wet start then - how many rookies will complete the first lap!

(assuming it’s a standing start!).

That’s one gone!

Christ. 

Two gone!

This is like me on the PlayStation 

Hmmm - not great that Lawson isn’t getting past the Haas and Saubers.

Whacky Races mode unlocked!

Great opening race.

Ferrari strategy exposed again.

And you can’t help there was some cautious driving from Lewis. Lacked some sharpness.

And you can’t help there was some cautious driving from Lewis. Lacked some sharpness.

Maybe given the conditions, not being fully confident in the car yet he played it cautiously. 

Great result for Albon & Williams, and my fantasy F1 team.

They was the first time he'd driven the Ferrari in the wet.... Not really surprising he was cautious!

Lewis so narky with his engineer, when he's winning Lewis goes over the top with how wonderful everyone is but I think he has a dark side that we will hear more about when he retires 

I'd have kept the Ferraris out hoping enough of a lead would have got them over the line after the rain stopped and it was dried up a bit under others' inters

Posted by: redmex

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Lewis so narky with his engineer,

He's always been a bit that way when things don't go well. Then he gets out of the car and cools off and it's not a big deal. You really can't read too much into what people say when they're under pressure.

It seems a lot of the Lewis radio chatter was in building his relationship with his new race engineer. Lewis and Carlos's needs appear to be very far apart, with Carlos wanting to know every detail and Lewis only wanting to be fed important information.

Well that was eventful.  Love it when the weather mixes things up!

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And you can’t help there was some cautious driving from Lewis. Lacked some sharpness.

Sainz was saying that the cars are so complex now that the [more or less] day and a half they get to drive a car for the first time if you've moved to a new team or if you're a rookie, just isn't really enough to get a grip of how the car handles, or what it'll do under certain circumstances. At least he didn't stuff it into the wall (as per Alonso, who's equally experienced and didn't even have that excuse)

There was a lot of cautiousness in the race. new cars, wet and changing conditions, lots of team changes and rookies etc.

As the wise old Isack Hadjar said, just before he stuffed it in the wall on the formation lap - It is important to be careful and not damage the car at the 1st corner.

To be fair, he did what he was asked and avoided damaging the car in the first corner, by not reaching the first corner.

Can you imagine the backlash in Italy if Lewis were to bin it in the first race? He’s been tolerably close to Leclerc throughout the weekend—if not at the start of each session then at least by the end—so I think a cautious run was far wiser than riding the ragged edge with a twitchy and unfamiliar car. Pretty sure he’ll have taken a bit of a punch from Piastri’s ballsy move at the end, though.

Certainly a good race, though a drying track is always frustrating viewing because it’s near impossible to overtake once there’s a single dry line, so it was good that some fresh rain arrived. Would have been very interesting if the lap 44 shower had been short-lived: we’d have had Max and Lewis fighting for the win again.

Quite a few impressive drives out there, all things considered. Shame we didn’t get to see what Sainz could do.

Alex Albon scored almost as many points in the opening race as the whole of last season. Here's hoping Williams can become a fixture in the top 10.

I was surprised by the lack of red flags yesterday, especially after Alonso's crash when truck and marshalls were on the outside of a long sweeping corner with cars passing by with a high chance of losing it on a possibly wet track. And seeing the replay of the them all behind the safety car overtaking the recovery truck. I thought that F1 liked to throw a red flag at any opportunity these days so they could have the drama of a re-start for the viewers? Although, as a McLaren fan it was a relief that they didn't!

Lol… from this thread back in December:

Posted by: Bez

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Assuming [Hamilton] doesn’t get turbo screwed by [Ferrari’s] strategists…

I don’t see how that’s possible when their only strategist just left and is driving for Williams

From today:

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/vowles-praises-extra-strategist-sainz-for-his-role-in-albons-impressive-top.6itEojDTvXBz8BJZyarWBg

Really happy to see Williams having some pace, shame we didn’t get to see what Sainz could have done. I’ve read somewhere in the last few days, the Williams isn’t producing the highest levels of downforce/grip but it seems to have the best balance/consistency at reasonable levels. Fingers crossed for a good season!

Lol… from this thread back in December:

Posted by: Bez

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Assuming [Hamilton] doesn’t get turbo screwed by [Ferrari’s] strategists…

I don’t see how that’s possible when their only strategist just left and is driving for Williams

From today: “Vowles praises ‘extra strategist’ Sainz for his role in Albon’s impressive top-five finish at Albert Park”

Hmmm - not great that Lawson isn’t getting past the Haas and Saubers.

I can't imagine that anyone else didn't think that Lawson* could make a better fist of it than Perez, granted Lawson is pretty confident, but so are all the rest...Two things spring to mind. Thing one, what sort of mad set-up does Verstappen actually have, and Thing Two this is going to be an issue for RB until he leaves for another team, and then it'll be some-one else's problem. 

*what is this now? The 6th? 2nd seat driver that RB have tried by my count

what is this now? The 6th? 2nd seat driver that RB have tried by my count

Ricciardo worked well, then I think it was Gasly, Albon, Perez and now Lawson. Was Kvyet in there too, or was that before Riccardo?

Here's a thought... maybe Newey isn't all he's cracked up to be and Verstappen really is out-performing a crap car. 

Posted by: shermer75

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Was Kvyet in there too, or was that before Riccardo?

Kvyat got booted out so Max could have his seat, so Riccardo was his first team mate and the only one who's really challenged him.

Oh and I reckon Newey is able to spot things that a lot of other designers miss, but it feels like Max will get every last thousandth of lap time that it can give every time he sits in the car, whereas his team mates just haven't been able to do that so reliably (if ever!)

Here's a thought... maybe Newey isn't all he's cracked up to be and Verstappen really is out-performing a crap car

What are you basing that on? He's left Red Bull on a very solid platform (bearing in mind that he's been getting further away from their car for a couple of years) and has just joined Aston this month. A quick look at his career shows that success has followed him rather than the other way around

Posted by: ScotRoutes

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maybe Newey isn't all he's cracked up to be and Verstappen really is out-performing a crap car

Let's see. When he was at Williams, Williams dominated. Then he went to McLaren and Mclaren won two drivers titles and was generally the closest challenger to Ferrari during the Schumacher years. Then he went to Red Bull and they won four titles on the trot. Then they ended up with a crap engine, but still won some races. Then they got a decent engine and won four more titles on the trot. I think he's a pretty decent designer.

Kvyat got booted out so Max could have his seat, so Riccardo was his first team mate and the only one who's really challenged

And Sainz at Torro Rosso. Which probably lead to Sainz not getting the RB seat this year. I don't think Max likes being challenged . Still the only WC never to have a WC teammate (weird Hunt/Jones thing excepted)

More flexi-wing nonsense - they should have just banned it from the start of this season rather than giving them a reprieve for few months!...

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f1-to-introduce-tighter-rear-wing-tests-after-australia-flexing-evidence/

The problem (well, one of them) at Red Bull seems to be that if you're not faster than Max STRAIGHT AWAY then you're rubbish and they start looking for the Next Best Thing - Helmet seems to be the instigator of this attitude but clearly not the only one who believes it. His comments over the weekend about Bortoleto and Hadjar highlight what he's all about.

yes Shermer75, thanks it's 5 isn't it? Sainz was Torro Rosso

They’ll be lobbing Hadjar in there by mid-season

Kvyat got booted out so Max could have his seat,

didn't he get his wife/GF too?

Kvyat got booted out so Max could have his seat,

didn't he get his wife/GF too?

And his kid, that's some two for one/package deal!!  

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