Without the rain and the safety car, the Australian Grand Prix might not have been much of a contest. The two McLarens of Norris and Oscar Piastri quickly built a lead of more than 15 seconds to Verstappen in third early in the race.

Verstappen’s teammate last year, Sergio Pérez, has been replaced by Liam Lawson this season, with the New Zealand driver set to make his full-time F1 debut in 2025. In the drizzly conditions in Bahrain, Lawson said he was fighting “a few teething gremlins” with his car as he sought to adjust to life alongside Verstappen.

W ith Ferrari's SF-25 Formula One car being very different to the cars Lewis Hamilton has driven in the past, he revealed that he will need to change his driving style to adapt to

Liam Lawson also made a return this season with a full-time seat at Red Bull, replacing Sergio Perez. Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz, Nico Hülkenberg, and Esteban Ocon are all at new teams—Ferrari, Williams, Sauber, and Haas, respectively.

Catch up on all the events and reaction to FP3 and qualifying for Formula One’s opening grand prix weekend of the 2025 season in Melbourne

True F1 junkies were probably following the preseason test earlier this month in Bahrain, as the sport now helpfully shows those three days of running on its streaming platform. But those devoted enough to watch the cars circulate for hours with nothing on the line also know you shouldn't read too much into a preseason test,