01The Latest at Australian Grand Prix 2025
02The Season Awakens: Australia Welcomes F1 2025
The long wait is over. The roar of engines, the scent of burning rubber, and the electrifying energy of race fans around the world signal one thing—Formula 1 is back. And there’s no better place to ignite the 2025 season than Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit, a venue that blends history, spectacle, and unpredictability into a perfect storm of racing drama.
The Australian Grand Prix isn’t just the first race of the season—it’s a statement. A proving ground where teams reveal their true pace, drivers set their championship ambitions in motion, and the pecking order for the year begins to take shape. Fast, flowing, and unforgiving, Albert Park’s mix of high-speed chicanes, rapid direction changes, and DRS-powered straights make it a track that rewards bravery as much as precision. Factor in Melbourne’s infamous four-seasons-in-a-day weather, and you get a weekend where strategy is just as critical as outright speed.
For Oracle Red Bull Racing, this race carries weight. Max Verstappen returns with a point to prove, eager to erase the sting of last year’s heartbreak when a near-certain victory slipped away. The reigning champion is ready to take control, setting the tone for a year where every race will be a battle for supremacy. Alongside him, Liam Lawson makes his full-time Australian Grand Prix debut—stepping into the spotlight in front of a passionate Aussie and Kiwi crowd that will be roaring him on. For Liam, it’s not just another race; it’s a chance to make a definitive first impression.
But Melbourne has a habit of rewriting the script. Will Max reclaim his throne? Can Liam rise to the challenge? Or will the chaos of Albert Park throw a curveball into the season’s opening chapter? Safety Cars, late-race drama, and unexpected heroes have all played their part in shaping past Australian Grands Prix—2025 will be no different.
One thing is certain: Oracle Red Bull Racing is coming in full throttle. The chase for championship glory starts now. Are you ready?
03Max & Liam Ahead of Australia 2025
We are ready to get started up again and I am excited to get the season underway.
Max Verstappen"It is great to be getting back to racing again and officially starting the season. It is good to see the first race of the season starting up in Melbourne; I drove my Formula One debut race here, so there are a lot memories and we always see the passionate fans come out here to support. In Bahrain, we learnt a lot from Testing but there is still a lot more work to be done. We have ideas about what we can do and how we can take on what we learnt at Testing, so we will see how we go when we start driving on the track. We have been analysing the data and working on where we can make improvements and can work to optimise things further. We are ready to get started up again and I am excited to get the season underway." - Max Verstappen
It's so close to home, so it feels like a home race for me.
Liam Lawson "I'm looking forward to my first weekend with the Team. It'll be my first weekend in Melbourne as well, so there's a lot to look forward too. Myself and the Team have prepared a lot for the season which has been great. It’s been my first official pre-season in Formula One, so it's nice to bring all the hard work we've done into Melbourne for this weekend. The simulator work we've done has been really important, but also the time I've spent with the engineers over the winter. It's a new crew for me, so I wanted to build relationships with the Team ahead of the start of the campaign. It's obviously really exciting to get the season underway and, of course, have my first Australian Grand Prix. It's close to home, so it feels like a home race for me. I can’t wait to get started as an Oracle Red Bull Racing driver and I'll give one hundred percent all season for the Team and the fans - that starts in Melbourne this weekend." - Liam Lawson
04Australian Grand Prix 2025: Challenges & Key Factors
Max’sRedemptionArc
After a frustrating early exit in 2024, Max Verstappen has unfinished business at Albert Park. The reigning World Champion will be eager to remind the paddock exactly why he’s at the top of the sport. With Red Bull power underneath him, he’ll be hunting nothing less than a dominant win.
Here's Max's reaction from last year at Albert Park:
LiamLawson’sBigMoment
For Liam Lawson, this is more than just another race—it’s a defining moment in his career. With a passionate Aussie and Kiwi fanbase roaring him on, he’ll be looking to prove why he deserves his spot alongside Max. The goal? A strong, attacking performance that puts him right in the mix.
Liam gives us his thoughts on Pre-Season Testing at Bahrain:
Tyres,Tyres,Tyres
Albert Park’s track evolution is wild—Friday practice starts off with limited grip, but by Sunday, the surface is transformed. The big question? One-stop or two-stop strategy? Get it right, and we’ll be in control. Get it wrong, and it could be a long afternoon.
Pit For Hard tyres© Oracle Red Bull Racing
SafetyCarRoulette
Albert Park has a habit of producing race-changing Safety Cars—and when that happens, strategy goes out the window. A well-timed caution can hand a driver the advantage or turn a solid race into a recovery mission. The pit wall will need to stay on high alert for any opportunities to pounce.
Melbourne’sWildWeather
It wouldn’t be the Australian Grand Prix without the weather keeping us on our toes. One moment it’s sunshine and fast laps, the next its rain clouds rolling in and chaos on track. Our meteorologists and strategists will be working overtime to stay ahead of any sudden changes.
Melbourne Skyline© Vladimir Rys
OvertakingChallenges&QualifyingImportance
While multiple DRS zones aid overtaking, the tight nature of the circuit means track position is king. A strong qualifying performance will be vital to securing a good grid spot and avoiding early-lap incidents.
05Stats & Facts about Australia Grand Prix 2025
- The Australian Grand Prix will mark the 20th anniversary of the Team's debut in Formula One, when David Coulthard and Christian Klein qualified 5th and 6th in 2005. It was the best performance by a debuting constructor in F1 since 1970.
- Max has won the season opener in each of the last two seasons, which has contributed to his record-breaking run as the Drivers' World Championship leader, having continuously led the championship since the 2022 Spanish GP - over 1,029 days.
- Saturday in Melbourne marks 10 years since Max made his F1 debut at Albert Park in 2015 where he drove for Toro Rosso. Since then he has clocked up 63 race wins, 40 pole positions and four Drivers' World Championships.
- After 11 races in F1, Liam will make his Oracle Red Bull Racing debut in Melbourne becoming the ninth graduate from the Red Bull Junior Team to represent the six-time World Champions.
- This weekend will be the 28th Australian GP, in the previous 27 editions none of them have seen the top three on the grid finish in the order that they qualified.
06Albert Park Circuit Guide: Track Layout & Key Features
Ready For Lights Out In 'Straya© Getty Images
Since making its debut on the F1 calendar in 1996, Albert Park Circuit has been a fan-favorite thanks to its picturesque lakeside setting and a challenging mix of high-speed straights, heavy braking zones, and sweeping corners. While classified as a street circuit, Albert Park offers a semi-permanent layout, meaning the track evolves significantly across the weekend as grip levels improve.
Albert Park is one of the quicker circuits on the F1 calendar, despite its street-track characteristics. The 5.278 km layout rewards a well-balanced car, strong traction, and precision through its 14 corners, many of which are high-speed chicanes requiring perfect placement. While the track has undergone minor modifications in recent years, overtaking remains a challenge, making qualifying and strategy crucial to race success.
The circuit's smooth but evolving surface means teams must closely monitor tire performance, as early stints can see high degradation before the track rubberizes and grip improves. DRS zones will play a pivotal role, but maintaining track position through the opening laps could be the difference between fighting for victory or getting stuck in a midfield DRS train.
07Results: Australia Grand Prix 2025
We scored 18 more points than we did last time we were in Melbourne, so this is an improvement on last year and was fun in the end.Max Verstappen It has been a pretty horrible weekend and a struggle as a whole, but we take plenty of learning.Liam Lawson All in all, it was a good start to the season at a track we traditionally do not perform well at. 
Christian Horner CBE 
