The Australian Grand Prix provided a chaotic start to the 2025 Formula 1 season. The Chinese Grand Prix will present a whole new challenge.
Lando Norris dethroned Max Verstappen for the lead of the championship for the first time since the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix with his win in Melbourne. The McLaren driver fended off a late charge from his rival to convert pole position to victory.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Lando Norris |
25 |
| 2 |
Max Verstappen |
18 |
| 3 |
George Russell |
15 |
| 4 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
12 |
| 5 |
Alexander Albon |
10 |
| 6 |
Lance Stroll |
8 |
| 7 |
Nico Hulkenberg |
6 |
| 8 |
Charles Leclerc |
4 |
| 9 |
Oscar Piastri |
2 |
| 10 |
Lewis Hamilton |
1 |
Norris comes into 2025 as the favourite as his MCL39 proves to be levels ahead of the rest of the field. Jamie Chadwick says some drivers think McLaren have already won the title after displaying their pace in the Australian Grand Prix.
Norris and Oscar Piastri showed a terrifying advantage in Melbourne as they pulled almost 15 seconds ahead of Verstappen in the dry conditions. The latter spun at turn 13 and got beached on the grass during the second rain shower, costing a 1-2 finish for the Woking-based outfit.
Verstappen again displayed his talent in the wet conditions as he tried to snatch victory from Norris, but ultimately settled for second. It was a top performance from the four-time champion, but it is clear his RB21 does not have the speed to keep up with McLaren in the dry.
Red Bull have work to do going into the Chinese Grand Prix if they want to keep up with their rivals. This is especially the case for Liam Lawson, who suffered a disastrous debut for the team in Melbourne.
Jaime Alguersuari says Liam Lawson looked ‘totally lost’ after watching his onboard at the Australian Grand Prix
The Kiwi driver was knocked out of Q1 and lined up P18 for the race. Lawson had never driven the Albert Park circuit prior to last weekend and had likely never driven the RB21 in the rain.
His struggles continued in the race as he found it difficult to make up ground in the tricky conditions. The 23-year-old eventually crashed out at turn two when the second rain shower hit.
Lawson was among four of 2025’s new full-time drivers to find the barriers in the race. Alex Albon was proved right as he felt the rookies would be in for a long race.
But Red Bull’s latest recruit was noticeably struggling, as Jaime Alguersuari pointed out. Speaking on The After Lap Podcast, the Spaniard saw that Lawson was ‘totally lost’ after watching his onboard.
“I have been reviewing a lot [of the] onboards, especially the rookies. In the onboards you realise first of all the balance of the car and you see the second with one tyre and with the other and then the drivers’ feelings.
“He has confidence, yes, no, where he’s leading, where he’s lacking a little bit, where not the lines’. You can see that you have a lot of information with the onboards.
“When you see Lawson’s onboard, the poor guy is totally lost. I mean he doesn’t have the grip, in the back he has understeer in the slow ones [corners]. He accelerates, he has no traction.
“I mean the guy, especially with the fast tyre, is going to be lost, really lost. Or he’s not having the car with the setup that he’s using, but it reminds me a bit of what poor Checo was gojng through, that he had no grip.”
READ MORE: Who is Red Bull Racing F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know
Red Bull’s change to Liam Lawson’s car in Melbourne suggest he could be in for a long season
Lawson is the next driver to face off against Verstappen at Red Bull – something no driver has been able to do since 2018. The Milton Keynes outfit were impressed by the Kiwi driver’s performances at Racing Bulls, giving him the seat over Yuki Tsunoda.
Karun Chandhok is worried it is ‘too soon’ for Lawson to be at Red Bull, having only raced 11 Grand Prix before joining the team. His concerns were proven after Melbourne as the 23-year-old did not look comfortable at all in the RB21.
Ted Kravitz said Red Bull made several changes to Lawson’s car to prepare for the wet weather, but all it did was make him ‘very, very slow’. He will hope to improve in Shanghai, but it could be a long season ahead in 2025.
The Red Bull is very much set up to suit Verstappen’s sensitive driving style – which his teammates have failed to get accustomed to. While the Dutchman was competitive with the setup in Melbourne, Lawson was nowhere, rasing concerns about his performance over the season.
