Is Lewis Hamilton ready to win with Ferrari? Five big F1 Australian GP questions

The 2025 F1 season finally gets underway this weekend with the Australian Grand Prix.

After a three-month break since the chequered flag fell in Abu Dhabi to conclude an epic 2024 campaign, we are on the eve of the first race weekend of a 24-round world championship which will be contested over the next nine months.

Huge excitement surrounds Melbourne’s curtain-raiser and there are plenty of questions heading into the new F1 season…

Could Lewis Hamilton win on Ferrari debut?

The biggest storyline surrounds how Lewis Hamilton will fare at Ferrari.

Hamilton’s seismic transfer to Ferrari has captured the attention of the F1 world, which has only ramped up since the sport’s biggest global superstar made his first appearance at Maranello in late January - sparking a massive fanfare.

After an intense testing programme and period of adaptation, all eyes will be on how the seven-time world champion gets on, and whether he has managed to address his recent F1 struggles - particularly in qualifying.

Hamilton will face a huge test alongside new teammate Charles Leclerc, one of F1’s fastest drivers over one lap. But Albert Park is one of Hamilton’s favourite tracks, a venue he has a record eight pole positions at.

A victory at the first attempt would send the hype into overdrive, and see Hamilton join fellow greats such as Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel in winning on their Ferrari debuts.

Which team will come out on top?

Pre-season testing is always full of intrigue and excitement, but the talking and months of speculation will stop in Melbourne.

There is an age-old adage in F1 that the stopwatch never lies, and we will finally get to see just how fast each team is this weekend.

We may have to wait until qualifying for the teams to reveal their true pace, but a first, accurate picture of the competitive order in 2025 will be formed.

Will the pre-season hype be justified?

2025 is one of the most hyped F1 seasons for years.

That is largely due to how competitive the tail-end of last season was, coupled with the fact that 2025 marks a year of stable regulations before a major overhaul next year.

Convergence is natural towards the end of F1 rule cycles, but it has been a long time since a season promised to be as competitive as 2025. Arguably, F1 has never been so healthy from a competition standpoint.

Margins are expected to be incredibly fine throughout the pack, with at least four teams expected to contest for victories and potentially the world championship.

Now it’s time to find out whether all the hype is justified.

Can Alpine or Williams spring a surprise?

Two teams that caught the eye in pre-season testing were Alpine and Williams, with both enjoying an encouraging showing over the three days of running in Bahrain. 

Williams had a particularly positive test, with the new FW47 looking like a strong package. Carlos Sainz produced the outright fastest lap (even though lap times from testing always need to be taken with a large pinch of salt), and Williams’ race runs were promising too.

Some pundits have even tipped the Grove squad to start the season as the fifth-fastest team, though Sainz - who forms a strengthened driver line-up alongside Alex Albon - has tried to lower expectations.

Alpine also look to be heading into 2025 in a much better shape than they started the previous season and have high hopes of moving up the order and challenging the front-end of the midfield.

Could one, or both, emerge as a surprise package in Australia?

How will Jack Doohan handle the pressure?

Gearing up for his first full F1 season under a cloud of speculation before a wheel has even been turned is not how Jack Doohan should have been heading into his home grand prix.

But that is the glaring reality the 22-year-old Australian faces as he prepares for his rookie F1 season with Alpine. Signed as Esteban Ocon’s replacement for 2025, Doohan actually made his grand prix debut a race early in last year’s finale in Abu Dhabi.

But there are growing doubts about whether Doohan will make it through the opening races - let alone the entire 24-round season - following Alpine’s signing of Franco Colapinto.

Colapinto, who starred in a late season cameo for Williams in 2024, is Alpine’s reserve but the popular Argentine’s arrival at Enstone has fuelled rumours that he is being lined up to replace Doohan should he fail to meet expectations alongside Pierre Gasly.

Doohan’s performance in Melbourne will already be under huge scrutiny. Will he rise to the occasion, or sink in the spotlight?