Formula 1 is back ,and we could not be more thrilled! The first race of the season has set the tone for the year, and what a year we are in for! The race was chaotic, but it also brought a lot of wholesome moments to the paddock. In no particular order, here are 9 of the sweetest moments from the 2025 Australian Grand Prix.
Is it finally Williams time to shine again?
Williams blew us away in qualifying, with both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz making it into Q3, starting 6th and 10th in Sunday’s race. Alex Albon even managed to out-qualify both Ferrari drivers, making for one of the biggest shocks of the weekend. On race day, Alex Albon drove a fantastic race, finishing P5, ahead of the likes of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and both Ferrari drivers, which is outstanding considering Williams' form last season. Unfortunately, the rain and poor track conditions took Carlos out of the race very early, but this allowed him to help the team from the pit lane, giving better insight to when to bring Alex into the pits for new tyres.
Racing Bulls!
A good day for Yuki Tsunoda fans as he qualified P5 on Saturday, and no one could be happier for him than his teammate Isack Hadjar. Some adorable footage was released of Hadjar and his family cheering Yuki on from the garage after his Q2 exit, where he qualified as the highest rookie.
Though the race did not go as Racing Bulls fans were hoping, a sweet moment for the sport was Lewis Hamilton’s father, Anthony Hamilton, coming over to support and comfort Hadjar after his crash on the formation lap. A really stand-up action coming from a member of another team. Isack is known for being a massive supporter of Lewis Hamilton, as he was someone he grew up watching his whole life. Now racing in Formula 1 together, it is very special to see it come full circle.
Papaya Friendship
McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris continue to be the best of friends in the 2025 season. In a sweet offtrack moment, Oscar gave Lando a side hug when they were taking photos for the media. They were the only team where the drivers did the portrait together. During the driver parade on race day, Lando was caught very excitedly cheering on his teammate as Oscar did his trackside interview.
Never Give Up!
The changing track conditions were difficult for everyone and unfortunately caught out Australian native Oscar Piastri, who took a trip through the gravel before spinning out on the grass in his home race. Oscar was in a great position for at least P2 and maybe even the win, but after he spun, most assumed he was out. Oscar wasn’t going to let that happen, though, and made it back on the track after reversing off the grass and came back to finish P9 after a stellar overtake on Lewis Hamilton. Even though it is not what he or any of us wanted, his resiliency still earned him some points instead of a DNF.
Lando Norris Takes his First Win of the Season
Lando Norris took first place in the season opener, officially leading the World Driver’s Championship for the first time in his career. Max Verstappen and even his teammate Oscar Piastri put up a good fight for first, but with lots of defending and some team orders, Lando was able to keep them behind. Lando’s parents were in attendance for the first race of the year, sharing a sweet hug at the barriers post-race. In the cooldown room, Lando’s mom was featured on the race recap reacting to the race, to which Lando responded, “It's alright, Mom, relax.”
Antonelli’s Debut
One rookie that stood out and made his mark in the race was Kimi Antonelli. Kimi finished P4 in his debut race with Mercedes. He performed very well under pressure and all of the conditions thrown at him this weekend, gaining 12 positions in the race. His teammate George Russell finished on the podium in P3, so overall it was a great opening weekend for Mercedes, and a fantastic debut performance from Kimi.
Nico Hülkenberg Scores Points for Kick Sauber
A surprise this weekend was a Kick Sauber car finishing inside the top 10. Kick Sauber have regularly been at the back of the grid in recent years, but in the changing conditions, Hülkenberg did what seemed to be impossible and took the car to P7. This result means Kick Sauber have already scored more points than last season. What a positive start for the soon-to-be Audi team and an exciting start for Nico Hülkenberg after his switch from Haas.
Hamilton in Red
In his highly anticipated Ferrari debut race, Lewis Hamilton didn’t have the start he or his fans were hoping for. He finished just inside the points in P10; however, the fans could not have been more excited to see the seven-time world champion in red.
Edited by Neha Grewal
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