MERCEDES ONE-TWO IN MELBOURNE, LECLERC BACK ON THE PODIUM

The Formula 1 season kicks off with Mercedes dominating the streets of Melbourne. After securing a front-row lockout in qualifying, the Brackley team repeated the feat in the race. Leclerc tried to challenge the Silver Arrows but ultimately had to settle for the third step of the podium. Verstappen, after crashing in qualifying, recovered to finish sixth. Disaster for Aston Martin, forced into a double retirement. Lindblad shines on his F1 debut.

GIOVANNI’S DRIVER RATINGS
The regulation changes have not produced the expected effects; instead, they created several problems for the teams. The first ten laps featured a number of battles, which then faded, bringing back the monotony of the past. There are still several aspects to improve, but for now it doesn’t seem that much has changed in terms of on-track spectacle.

MERCEDES – 9
Mercedes gets off to a great start. They dominate qualifying and, although they struggled slightly more than expected during the race, they still secured the first one-two finish of the season. The Silver Arrows showed clear superiority. The only flaw was the race start.

FERRARI – 7
Ferrari recovered what they lost in qualifying. Strategy was not perfect yet; even though it probably wouldn’t have changed the final outcome, it kept the two Maranello drivers out of a possible fight with Mercedes. The next race in China looks promising, considering the updates announced and the strong performance in last year’s sprint race.

RED BULL – 6
Red Bull encountered issues with the new power unit, which failed and forced Hadjar to retire after what had been a very positive weekend up to that point. The Anglo-Austrian team must find the right balance, especially considering what happened in qualifying with Verstappen. The Dutchman delivered an impressive comeback, gaining fourteen positions. The team’s number three driver also played his part, and with a better qualifying result, who knows—he might have fought for the win.

McLAREN – 6
McLaren appears to have taken a huge step backwards. At the moment they seem to be in serious difficulty, as shown by Piastri’s retirement on the formation lap. Norris was fairly anonymous. The 2025 world champion team must now work hard and try to find the right balance between the Mercedes power unit and a car capable of fighting for the top positions.

RACING BULLS – 7
A strong start for Racing Bulls. Lindblad scores points on his debut, proving he could challenge Lawson’s position as team leader. Lawson’s performance still needs improvement, especially considering the apparent potential of the car.

HAAS – 8
Haas begins its season in a positive way. Bearman finished ahead of his teammate in both qualifying and the race. The Brit confirms himself as the team’s “top player” and the driver to rely on this year.

AUDI – 7
On their debut, Audi scores points with Bortoleto. Hulkenberg encountered several issues and was unable to take part in the race. The team has a lot of work ahead, but the first race is not one to discard. If they solve the problems on the German driver’s car, Audi could try to become the surprise of the season.

ALPINE – 5
The French team returns to the points with Pierre Gasly. Despite this, the car does not appear particularly competitive. Colapinto narrowly avoids an incident that could have had serious consequences, but aside from that he remains anonymous in the back of the field. The team principal needs to roll up his sleeves, talk less, and show on track what this team is worth. At this rate, and no longer being an engine manufacturer, it’s unclear how long Alpine can continue given the enormous costs of modern F1 and the poor on-track performances.

WILLIAMS – 6-
Williams starts the season behind schedule. Despite their strong finish last year, the British team seems to have taken several steps backward. The drivers know they could do more with a competitive car. Gradually they may recover the gap to other teams and fight again for points—perhaps even something more.

CADILLAC – 6
Cadillac manages to finish the race with only one car. It is certainly not easy to enter Formula 1 from scratch during such a major regulatory shift. The new team must gradually adapt to the category, aiming to grow, fight for points, and gain experience.

ASTON MARTIN – 0
Finally, Aston Martin. After making big claims before the season, they prove to be one of the biggest disappointments in recent years. With the arrival of Newey, many expected them to fight at the front, but at the moment they cannot even finish a race. The money, brilliant engineering minds, and resources to do better are certainly there. However, right now there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel given all the difficulties encountered.

Author: Gabriele Bovio