The Australian Grand Prix will see several drivers make their first appearances for their new teams as the 2025 Formula 1 season gets underway.
Everyone’s attention will certainly be on Lewis Hamilton as he makes his official debut for Ferrari. The Brit will be looking for a strong start to life in red after extensive preparation behind the scenes at the factory in Maranello.
Another key talking point of the 2025 season is the six new full-time drivers joining the grid. All of them will want to make an impression at the Australian Grand Prix.
Isack Hadjar was the quickest of the rookies in FP1 and FP2 on Friday for Racing Bulls. It was a strong showing for the Frenchman which he will hope to carry into qualifying.
Jack Doohan (Alpine), Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), Liam Lawson (Red Bull) and Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) registered decent mileage during practice. However, it was a different story for Oliver Bearman at Haas.
Oliver Bearman crashing during FP1 in Melbourne is the ‘worst thing’ a rookie can do according to Jenson Button
Unlike the other rookies on the grid, the Brit has already made race starts for his 2025 team. Bearman impressed for Haas as Kevin Magnussen’s replacement in Baku and Sao Paulo last year – as well as for Ferrari in Jeddah where he finished seventh on debut.
But it has been a challenging start to the 2025 season. The 19-year-old crashed at turn 12 during FP1, with the damage to his VF-25 ruling him out of FP2.
Bearman required a new gearbox and engine which is not ideal before the first race of the year. Speaking on the F1 Explains podcast, 2009 champion Jenson Button says crashing is the ‘worst thing’ a rookie can do – Haas’ latest recruit has already had a big ‘no-no’ in 2025.
“What does a rookie want to get and what should a rookie get are two different things.
“I think a rookie immediately wants to win, he immediately wants to beat his teammate and show everyone what he or she is capable of.
“And that puts a lot of pressure on your shoulders. It makes it very difficult to be consistent because as soon as you drop behind your teammate in terms of pace, you push too hard and that’s when accidents happen.
“The worst thing that you can do as a Formula 1 driver as a newbie is crash, it really is. Crashing is a no-no, it coats the team too much, especially with the budget cap. You just cannot have a crash in F1 these days.”
Oliver Bearman’s crash in FP1 adds more frustrations to his start to 2025 at Haas
Bearman’s crash will dent his confidence slightly going into qualifying on Saturday. It adds more frustration to how he was already feeling going into the Australian Grand Prix.
Bearman was left disappointed in pre-season testing after he could not complete any qualifying runs. A piece of bodywork on the engine cover flew off his car down the pit straight on day three.
The VF-25’s true potential is still unknown heading into Melbourne. While the team will be hopeful they can score regular points from the midfield in 2025, there are some noticeable issues.
Ayao Komatsu says Haas are struggling with porpoising going into the first race of the season. The team principal admits it is ‘difficult to prevent’ as they fine-tune the machine from a decent campaign in 2024.
