Red Bull regret? F1 Australian GP driver ratings identify disastrous performance

The 2025 F1 season is officially underway following a chaotic race at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

But which driver impressed the most in Melbourne this weekend? 

Lando Norris - 9.5

Lando Norris delivered perfection at the Australian Grand Prix to get his F1 title challenge up and running. He was cool and calm over the radio as McLaren made the correct strategy decisions to get Norris on the top step of the podium at Albert Park.

Max Verstappen - 9

Max Verstappen extracted the maximum from his machinery across the Australian GP weekend. With Red Bull a step behind McLaren in pace terms, second place was the best Verstappen could achieve this weekend. The only blemish was a slight off moment at Turn 11 in the first stint.

George Russell - 8.5

George Russell delivered a quiet but professional weekend in Melbourne. With Mercedes lacking the outright speed of McLaren or Verstappen’s Red Bull, Russell will be satisfied with his race-day performance.

Kimi Antonelli - 8

Floor damage in qualifying put Kimi Antonelli on the back foot as he was eliminated in Q1. Antonelli made a number of daring overtakes, fighting his way through the field. He was the only rookie driver not to find the wall this weekend, securing fourth on his F1 debut.

Alex Albon - 9

It was a near-perfect weekend for Alex Albon, who finished fifth. He qualified in the top six before putting in a spectacular race, where he could keep one of the Ferraris behind.

Lance Stroll - 7.5

The correct tyre call made Lance Stroll’s race as he bagged eight points for Aston Martin. They timed the switch to the intermediates perfectly. However, to Stroll’s credit, he made no mistakes in a tricky Aston Martin.

Nico Hulkenberg - 7.5

Like Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg’s race came alive following a timely switch to the intermediates at the end of Lap 45. He made no mistakes and was driving a perfect race up until that point.

Charles Leclerc - 7

While Charles Leclerc was understandably annoyed about Ferrari’s key strategy calls in Australia, it wasn’t perfect from the Monegasque. No doubt, he was the quicker of the two Ferraris, but Leclerc struggled when the track was damp - something that’s becoming a recurring theme when on slick tyres. He was overtaken by Racing Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda at one point but fought back well, including an impressive move on his new teammate.

Oscar Piastri - 6

Oscar Piastri’s pace was outstanding in Australia, but he only came away with two world championship points. With the rain coming down, Norris and Piastri ran wide in the final sector. While Norris could stay on the track, Piastri spun onto the grass and was beached for around 60 seconds. The Safety Car gave him a lifeline as he overtook Lewis Hamilton on the final lap.

Lewis Hamilton - 6.5

An underwhelming debut for Ferrari overall. Hamilton never looked quite on Leclerc’s pace throughout practice and qualifying. He lost out at the start, getting stuck behind Albon for the first half of the race. He did well to keep it on the track in the damp conditions, getting ahead of Leclerc and Tsunoda, who spun. However, he was weak in defence against Leclerc and Piastri, meaning he finished 10th.

Pierre Gasly - 7

Pierre Gasly ran as high as eighth following the final Safety Car. However, a crucial error at Turn 1 dropped him behind the two Ferraris. Points were on the table with a cleaner race.

Yuki Tsunoda - 8

Australia proved to be a big missed opportunity for Tsunoda. Like Ferrari, Racing Bulls got it wrong with their strategy. Ultimately, Tsunoda finished 12th in Australia.

Esteban Ocon - 6.5

Haas were the slowest team in Australia so it’s difficult to gauge Esteban Ocon’s performance, mainly because teammate Oliver Bearman had a torrid weekend.

Ollie Bearman - 5

A weekend to forget for Bearman. He crashed heavily in FP1 before losing control of his car again in final practice. He kept it together in the race to make the chequered flag to his credit.

Liam Lawson - 2

There were zero positives from Liam Lawson’s first weekend as a Red Bull driver. Technical issues put him on the back foot ahead of qualifying. He was knocked out in Q1 and well off the pace in the race before retiring.

Gabriel Bortoleto - 4.5

Gabriel Bortoleto was one of the stars of qualifying, outpacing veteran teammate Hulkenberg. Like many of the other rookies, Bortoleto found the conditions tough and crashed out.

Fernando Alonso - 4

It was a messy weekend overall by Fernando Alonso’s high standards. He was left to rue floor damage in Q2 - costing him a spot in the top 10 shootout. Alonso spun out of the race, clattering the barriers and causing a Safety Car.

Carlos Sainz - 3.5

Carlos Sainz’s first weekend as a Williams driver was a disappointing one. He was well beaten by Albon in qualifying.His race ended prematurely, crashing out under the Safety Car. The Spaniard hinted that there was an issue with the upshifts.

Jack Doohan - 3.5

Jack Doohan’s home debut ended with a crash on the opening lap. Doohan’s pace was encouraging throughout the weekend, however.

Isack Hadjar - 3.5

Isack Hadjar’s race ended before it began, shunting his Racing Bulls car on the formation lap. He narrowly missed out on Q3.