What a mess...literally - F1 Australian GP 2025

Did I jinx things saying 'sunny and warm' Australia in my last post? I'm claiming no, since it was sunny and warm thru the practice sessions. But boy oh boy, what a mess on race day. And no I'm not necessarily referring to the weather. Oh, hello Ferrari of old...

Courtesy of Associated Press

No, no, I'm not trying to say Ferrari was the only 'mess' out on the track, but probably the most glaring one in my opinion. But how does literally every other team get it right for that final burst of rain and make the change to inters? I mean come on, all they literally had to do was follow Verstappen into the pits, get a quick change from slicks, and land on the podium.

Yes, it was a difficult race, yes, the weather was wreaking havoc on the track, but yes, they all have the same access to weather radar! Come on man, both Leclerc and Hamilton deserved better communication, and surely would have made better decisions. Now I know, it's still a learning curve for Hamilton on the car, controls, setups, and now a full in depth exposure to driving the Ferrari in the rain. But shouldn't this be where Leclerc and his engineer help lead the way thru the misty gray murk to the brief shine and glare of standing on the podium? Hamilton nailed it on the head with his radio message of 'massive opportunity missed'. And thus, we unfortunately languish back to the poor Ferrari decision making of old. The saving grace? Well, it was only the first race, and there are 23 more to get it right. Let's just hope it's this upcoming weekend.

Other mess to clean up, McLaren and their 'papaya rules'. Ok sure, it's only the first race, and it's fine to let the boys (Norris and Piastri) duke it out on the track, but in order to not only win a 2nd consecutive constructors title, but also a drivers championship, Brown and Stella need to lay down the law and framework. They need to make a decision here and now, and not mess around with 'oh well both can be our #1 driver' type environment. Pick a horse, and back it till the end, plain and simple.

It was a tough weekend for everyone, but especially the rookies. Hats off to Kimi Antonelli, and especially Ollie Bearman for getting thru the weekend, and the race. Was a discouraging one for Ollie having crashed out twice in practice, but he showed his resilience by making it to the end of the race while others were now having their fair share of spinouts due to the conditions. Kimi was as impressive on Sunday as he was in testing, and big things are on the horizon for this teenage. Cool, calm and composed, and took 4th overall. Also, Mercedes is now dead even with McLaren after Russell and Antonelli's strong performances. It will be a long season, but it for sure will be exciting.

Oh and one last note before we head to Shanghai for round 2, Anthony Hamilton. This man is the reason why Lewis Hamilton is the greatest champion in Formula 1, and quite possibly all sports. His quick reaching out and comforting of Isack Hadjr of VCARB after he crashed on the formation lap, was not only the care and concern of a father, but the demonstration of grace and support that these young racers need to have. It's a brutally challenging sport, and pressure cooker of stress even off the track. A little care and concern goes a long way. The comment from Helmut Marko on Hadjr's display of raw human emotion of 'it was embarrassing' just shows how cold an environment there is on the Red Bull team. Such a shame.

Off to Shanghai, let's hope for better weather!