Sauber is looking into the possibility Gabriel Bortoleto’s race-ending crash last weekend was not caused by driver error.
Bortoleto crashed out of his first grand prix on lap 46, shortly after he changed to intermediate tyres as the rain returned. He originally believed he lost control of his car on a kerb and apologised to the team for his mistake.
However speaking in today’s FIA press conference Bortoleto said Sauber has not ruled out mechanical failure as a contributing factor. He said contact between him and Nico Hulkenberg on the first lap of the race may have weakened a suspension part and led to it failing later.
“We are still struggling to fully understand what happened there,” he said. “What is clear for us is that there was contact, I think with Nico.
“It was a racing incident – it was very small contact in turn three. We were side by side, and he had a small snap and touched my rear tyre. I didn’t even feel it at the moment, but when we re-watched the race, we saw it. So maybe that’s one of the possibilities.”
The team’s analysis has produced “nothing conclusive” so far, said Bortoleto. “The team is still studying and analysing it back at the factory to try to understand the real reason why it broke.
“We also need to determine if it influenced my spin the corner before or if that was purely my mistake from hitting the kerb.”
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Bortoleto also confirmed he experienced braking problems throughout much of the race. Aside from those difficulties he felt his first grand prix weekend was “very solid”.
“Quali was good, [free practice sessions] were very solid as well,” he said. “I improved a lot through the sessions. In quali I managed to do a decent lap in Q1 and then tried a bit too hard in Q2.
“But in the race it was very tricky. I’ve heard from some drivers that there won’t be many races more difficult than this one in your career – slicks to wet, then wet to slicks again, dry, then wet again.
“A lot of things happened, and we take learnings from that – how to behave in a race like this, when to push, when to not push, when to take risks. And obviously, through the race as well, we had some fights around, and it was just good to understand a bit how racing in Formula 1 is.”
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Sauber is looking into the possibility Gabriel Bortoleto’s race-ending crash last weekend was not caused by driver error.
Bortoleto crashed out of his first grand prix on lap 46, shortly after he changed to intermediate tyres as the rain returned. He originally believed he lost control of his car on a kerb and apologised to the team for his mistake.
However speaking in today’s FIA press conference Bortoleto said Sauber has not ruled out mechanical failure as a contributing factor. He said contact between him and Nico Hulkenberg on the first lap of the race may have weakened a suspension part and led to it failing later.
“We are still struggling to fully understand what happened there,” he said. “What is clear for us is that there was contact, I think with Nico.
“It was a racing incident – it was very small contact in turn three. We were side by side, and he had a small snap and touched my rear tyre. I didn’t even feel it at the moment, but when we re-watched the race, we saw it. So maybe that’s one of the possibilities.”
The team’s analysis has produced “nothing conclusive” so far, said Bortoleto. “The team is still studying and analysing it back at the factory to try to understand the real reason why it broke.
“We also need to determine if it influenced my spin the corner before or if that was purely my mistake from hitting the kerb.”
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Bortoleto also confirmed he experienced braking problems throughout much of the race. Aside from those difficulties he felt his first grand prix weekend was “very solid”.
“Quali was good, [free practice sessions] were very solid as well,” he said. “I improved a lot through the sessions. In quali I managed to do a decent lap in Q1 and then tried a bit too hard in Q2.
“But in the race it was very tricky. I’ve heard from some drivers that there won’t be many races more difficult than this one in your career – slicks to wet, then wet to slicks again, dry, then wet again.
“A lot of things happened, and we take learnings from that – how to behave in a race like this, when to push, when to not push, when to take risks. And obviously, through the race as well, we had some fights around, and it was just good to understand a bit how racing in Formula 1 is.”
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Lewis Hamilton denied he was unhappy about his communication with new race engineer Riccardo Adami during the Australian Grand Prix, despite the appearance given by excerpts played during the race.
He and Adami worked together for the first time during a grand prix last weekend following Hamilton’s move to Ferrari.
The excerpts of their radio messages played on the world television feed during the race focused on Adami urging Hamilton to use the K1 engine mode, which the driver was reluctant to do. But those messages were a small fraction of the total communications between the pair, little of which was played on the world feed.
Hamilton appeared bemused by the focus on his radio messages after last weekend’s race. “I don’t know why everyone’s been so negative about it,” he told the official F1 channel.
“I was polite. I always said ‘please’ at the end, even when I was racing! And when you look at some of the other drivers who have been super-vocal, almost abusive with their engineers, who have taken batterings for years. Mine didn’t even take a battering.
“There were a couple of individuals that were quite rude on how we spoke. But anyway, it’s just something you learn along the way. So from race to race, we’re going to get stronger together and that’s the most important part.”
Hamilton and Peter Bonnington had the longest-running partnership between a driver and race engineer until the seven-times champion left Mercedes at the end of last season. He said it took time to perfect their communication in the early days.
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“The relationship between Bono and I took years, it took so much time for us to learn each other because he had worked with previous drivers and they require quite a different amount of information,” said Hamilton. “So you just, bit by bit, trial and error, you try different things along the way and eventually you gel.
“Riccardo and I get on super-well and that was our first race together. That was the first time he was having to throw those balls into the cockpit, and we dealt with 90-plus percent of those totally fine.
“Afterwards we just talked and we said ‘hey, this is the bit that I did need and this is the bit that I didn’t need.’ And it’s no problem. Next time we’ll do it differently.”
“Every driver requires different information,” Hamilton added. George [Russell], for example, likes a lot of information, or he used to when I was racing with him. For me, I don’t need or like a lot of information. It can sometimes be overbearing and overloading.”
This article will be updated
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli admitted he was alarmed when he came close to crashing on the first lap of the Australian Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver caught a huge snap of oversteer at the exit of turn five as the race began in wet conditions. Fellow rookie driver Jack Doohan also lost control of his car at that point on the track on the first lap but crashed out.
“I got really scared,” Antonelli told the official F1 channel. “I cannot really say what I thought in the moment because it would have been… but definitely, it was a big save. Not bad to start lap one.”
After his drama at the start, Antonelli had a strong race, climbing 12 places to finish fourth despite the treacherous conditions.
“The whole race was really enjoyable,” he said. “In stint one I was really trying to understand the conditions because the grip was really tricky, very low at the start of the race. Especially with those white [painted] lines, it was very, very tricky.
“The first thing I was really trying to understand was the grip; the track was evolving. It was the first time trying the intermediate so I was trying to understand how the tyre was working.
“But then when I jumped for the last stint on inters, I definitely felt much more confident with the car and the conditions. It was a very enjoyable race.”
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Antonelli said he enjoyed himself so much the race “felt quite short” to him. “During the Safety Car when we switched to slicks, I remember looking at the board and we were already on lap 40. I was like, ‘we’re at the end of the race’. It was really enjoyable out there.”
He started the race 16th after damaging his car in qualifying. Antonelli said his performance in his first grand prix gave him “a good boost of confidence” for the races ahead.
“I think in Melbourne I was a little bit too tense as well, especially when it was time for qualifying. Now definitely I feel a lot more relaxed and a lot more in control of the situation. Definitely there’s still lots to learn, but really looking forward to this weekend.”
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Williams team principal James Vowles has shed further light on what caused Carlos Sainz Jnr to crash out on the first lap of the Australian Grand Prix.
The team’s new driver spun into a barrier at the final corner in the wet conditions shortly after the start of the race. The Safety Car had been deployed due to Jack Doohan’s crash moments earlier.
Vowles said the combination of low-grip conditions and unexpected power delivery while the FW47 was in its Safety Car mode led to Sainz spinning.
“He was coming through the last corner, he was in second gear, he held a fairly constant throttle position – actually a tiny bit lower, a percent or two lower – and pulled for an upshift into third gear, so it’s a part throttle upshift,” said Vowles in a video released by the team.
“When he did so, what happens inside those conditions is we’re in a different mode, it’s a Safety Car mode, so that runs the systems in a very different way if we’re in flat out. And what happens is, as you would imagine, we have a disengagement of power and torque and then a re-engagement of power and torque.
“Now, there was a tiny bit more than would have been expected. For me, it was an accumulation of conditions.”
The team is looking into what changes it needs to make to prevent a repeat of the problem. “First and foremost, I think what we have to review is how and what we’re doing with those settings and that Safety Car mode in wet conditions,” said Vowles. “I don’t think we were optimum, and that’s on us as a team.
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“The second is that it was treacherous out there. I really can’t state that enough. When you’re going slowly, your tyre temperatures are being lost, any small amount of additional grip loss will be accentuated, and I think that’s what we have there.
“We’re still ongoing in terms of reviewing because clearly we need to make sure that we’re improving in every single area and providing a car to the drivers that’s predictable and consistent.”
After retiring from the race Sainz joined the team on the pit wall to help them react to the changing conditions with the remaining car driven by his team mate Alexander Albon, which led to him finishing a strong fifth. Vowles said the team was grateful for his input.
“What Carlos was doing was trying to provide as much information as possible, be that about car performance, the conditions, what was coming in on the weather radar,” said Vowles. “And his insight was fantastic. It was useful, it was clear.
“He actually said it was more nerve-wracking being up there on the pit wall, with the amount of information coming in, than driving around the car in those conditions, which I don’t believe for a second. But irrespective, it was still great to have him by our side.”
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Lando Norris kept Max Verstappen at sword’s length over the final laps of the Australian Grand Prix to claim victory in the season-opener.
He was the strongest threat to Verstappen’s fourth consecutive championship victory last year, and is arguably the most significant competitor the Red Bull driver has faced since pipping Lewis Hamilton to win his first championship in controversial circumstances in 2021.
Not since the conclusion to that championship, when Hamilton won consecutively in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, has any driver other than Verstappen managed to win two grands prix in a row. But Norris changed that by following up his victory in last year’s season finale.
It was a significant win for various reasons, not least the fact it dislodged Verstappen from the top of the standings for the first time in over 1,000 days, as covered here earlier. Norris leads the points for the first time in his career, not that he is setting too much store by that. “It’s great, doesn’t mean anything, I’ve not won it so I don’t really care at the minute,” he responded when it was pointed out to him after the race.
McLaren last won the season-opener in 2012
It was also only the second time in Norris’s cars he has completed a hat trick of winning from pole position while setting the fastest lap (the latter feat, for the first time since 2018, no longer awards a bonus point). He previously did so at the Dutch Grand Prix last year.
Norris scored his 10th pole position, matching Jochen Rindt; fifth grand prix victory, equalling Giuseppe Farina, Clay Regazzoni, John Watson, Michele Alboreto and Keke Rosberg; and 13th fastest lap, tying with Jacky Ickx, Alan Jones and Riccardo Patrese.
He gave McLaren their first win in the season-opening round of the championship, and their first victory in the Australian Grand Prix, since 2012. Then as last weekend, McLaren also locked out the front row of the grid, though Norris should be grateful it wasn’t their second-placed starter who won, as on that occasion, when Jenson Button got the jump on Lewis Hamilton. Starts were not a strength of Norris’s last year, but he successfully converted pole position into the lead on this occasion.
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For the first time in six years, the new Formula 1 season began at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne. It should have done in 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the first seven rounds of the world championship. The season instead opened in Austria, where Norris made his first appearance on the podium in the first round of the season.
Antonelli bagged a fine fourth on his debut
This year George Russell reached the podium in the opening round for the first time in his career. He was followed by his new team mate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who impressed on his debut by climbing 12 places to finish fourth.
Antonelli, 18, became the second-youngest driver in F1 history to score points. Verstappen was 17 when he finished seventh in the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix, two weeks after making his debut in Melbourne. He is the first Italian driver to score points in F1 since Antonio Giovinazzi at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021.
Alexander Albon brought great cheer to Williams by finishing fifth. That was their best result since Russell’s second place in the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, which officially lasted just one lap in dire conditions. They haven’t had a better result in a full-length race since Lance Stroll finished third for them at Baku in 2017. Felipe Massa was the last driver to finish that high for them in a season-opener, at Melbourne in 2016.
Stroll also had a positive weekend in Australia. After 11 races without scoring, he ended the longest point-less run of his grand prix career by finishing sixth.
He was one of several drivers who rose up the order by pitting at the right time when it rained. Ferrari kept both their drivers out, which meant Hamilton led a lap on his debut for the team. Unfortunately by that point the track was sodden and he was on slicks. He fell to ninth, then Oscar Piastri passed him around the outside at turn nine on the final lap.
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Hamilton’s eventual finishing position of 10th was the worst for a driver on their debut for the team since Luca Badoer’s notoriously unsuccessful two-race spell as a substitute for Massa in 2009:
It could have been worse, and it was for Isack Hadjar, who Hamilton’s father consoled after he crashed out on the formation lap prior to the start. The rookie became the first driver to fail to start on his debut since 2015. At least he qualified, which was more than could be said for Roberto Merhi, whose Marussia was not ready to run at all at this race 10 years ago.
Over to you
Have you spotted any other significant stats and facts from the Australian Grand Prix Grand Prix? Share them in the comments.
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The youngest driver on the grid at the Australian Grand Prix faced high expectations as well as difficult conditions on his debut.
Mercedes had nurtured Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s career for years. But while his team mate George Russell got to make his Formula 1 debut in the relatively low-pressure environment of Williams, Antonelli was thrust straight into the top team, in the seat previously occupied by no less a talent than Lewis Hamilton.
Thrust into the spotlight, Antonelli stumbled in qualifying, damaging his career and dropping out in Q1. That left him near the back of the grid.
The foul conditions which greeted the teams on Sunday, after 48 hours of fine weather, were hardly ideal for Antonelli or any of the other rookies. However he had the benefit of a long testing programme in Mercedes’ F1 cars, some of which took place in similarly wet conditions.
Antonelli was well prepared, and though his race wasn’t flawless, he produced a superb drive to finish fourth. Here’s how he did it.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Australian Grand Prix radio transcript
Jump to:
“Right-hand side?” “I had a moment” “Hulkenberg is doing burn-outs into the pit lane” “I like that” “That was a wheel on the grass” “Has DRS been disabled?” “Alonso crashed” “Do you think we can have HPP 12?” “Take it easy in this restart” “Mate, he’s defending!” “I didn’t press it” “Nice job” “You are the only rookie that kept it on the road”
“Right-hand side?”
Antonelli lined up 16th on the grid, having been eliminated from qualifying the day before. The original attempt to start the race was abandoned after Isack Hadjar crashed.
Ahead of the second attempt to start the race, Bonnington reminded Antonelli there would be some empty spots on the grid, and to be sure to line up in the correct one. Antonelli spotted his mistake in identifying which side of the grid he should start from.
Lap: 1/57 ANT: 2’22.352
Bonnington
Initial clutch target drop was on target, then fed in deep. Okay Kimi, so we’re going to cool the call car turn 11, so coasting turn 11.
Bonnington
And it’ll be three burn-outs, three burn-outs. There’s a couple of cars missing from the grid, just look for your name, left-hand side.
Antonelli
Right-hand side?
Bonnington
Sorry, the board is on the left-hand side. The board is on the left-hand side. You should be on the right.
Bonnington
So set your b-bal, b-mig [brake balance, brake migration] and then strat mode five, last car in place.
“I had a moment”
When the race finally started, Jack Doohan lost control of his car at the exit of turn five and crashed out. Antonelli came very close to making the same error, catching a huge slide as he accelerated out of the corner.
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Bonnington
So we have Safety Car, Safety Car, keep the delta positive. So we are staying out, brake magic on, delta. Strat mode one.
Antonelli
Antonelli catches a huge snap of oversteer at the exit of turn five Fuck, I had a moment.
Bonnington
Okay, copy. Doohan crashed between five and six. Just stay on top of the temps.
Lap: 2/57 ANT: 2’49.800
Bonnington
Just 10 car lengths once we’re into the pack. Safety Car is at turn five at the moment. Doohan crashed on the left-hand side so the debris expected to be on left-hand side. Sainz has just gone off, final corner.
Antonelli
Yeah, copy, saw that.
Bonnington
Okay, so the Safety Car will be coming through the pit lane, so we’ll follow that. Just remember when you’re coming through the pit lane, you’re staying in the fast lane and using the pit limiter. So just stay on top of those temps as best you can, but just be careful. We’ve had a couple of cars off already. Sainz [was] just trying to get temp. So you’ll be coming through the pit lane and reminder for pit limiter.
Antonelli
Copy that.
Bonnington
Staying in the fast lane, driving through. Just watch the white line on exit. Still recovering Doohan’s car.
Lap: 3/57 ANT: 2’44.755
Bonnington
We’ll be through the pit lane again. So through the pit lane, and remember pit limiter again. From the replays looks like Doohan lost it on straight just by putting a wheel on the white lines. Just watch painted lines
Antonelli
Yeah, I almost did the same, so yeah, they’re quite slippery.
Bonnington
Okay, good man.
“Hulkenberg is doing burn-outs into the pit lane”
Although Antonelli was now up to 13th he had lost a position to Nico Hulkenberg. He suspected the Sauber driver had broken a rule in the pit lane, and advised his team, but his rival was not investigated.
Lap: 4/57 ANT: 2’34.598
Antonelli
Uh, Hulkenberg is doing burn-outs into the pit lane.
Bonnington
Okay, copy. So recovery vehicle on track, recovery vehicle. So a bit more brake magic if we can have it. Just try and get that temp.
Antonelli
How can I help rears?
Bonnington
Yeah, we’ve got that turned up already, so the rest is in your control. So through the pit lane again, and again, pit limiter.
Antonelli
If it doesn’t rain again, it’s going to be drying.
Bonnington
Okay, copy. No rain on the forecast for the next 20, 30 minutes. Again, white line on exit.
Lap: 5/57 ANT: 2’19.163
Bonnington
Recovery vehicle, looks like it’s still on track.
Bonnington
So this time the Safety Car will use the start-finish straight. So we’ll stay out.
Bonnington
So staying out, staying out. So that recovery vehicle that should have moved, it’s just parking up now I think, it’s around turn eight, nine. So, recovery vehicle, you’re about to go past. Kimi, can we have HPP three position three, three position three. So the Safety Car is going to be in end of this lap. Temps have been building slowly now.
Lap: 7/57 ANT: 2’03.412
Bonnington
So for the restart, it will be strat mode five, I’ll let you know. So let’s go strat mode five now. Strat mode five. Just make sure you’ve got your B-bal set. The race restarts
Bonnington
Ignore the oxidation warnings, ignore oxidation warnings. And can we have HPP 12 position two, 12 position two.
Lap: 9/57 ANT: 1’36.312
Bonnington
HPP 12 position one, 12 position one.
“I like that”
Antonelli made some progress once the race restarted, passing Hulkenberg.
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Lap: 10/57 ANT: 1’35.270
Bonnington
And cool the left-hand side tyres where you can.
Lap: 11/57 ANT: 1’34.678
Antonelli
I start to feel the overheating.
Lap: 12/57 ANT: 1’35.385
Bonnington
So just look for water where you can. DRS has been enabled.
Bonnington
Kimi can we have chassis default 19, chassis one-nine.
Lap: 14/57 ANT: 1’33.802
Bonnington
Just look for the wet patches where you can.
Bonnington
Antonelli passes Hulkenberg into turn 11 Nice work, Kimi, I like that! Okay, Hulkerberg 0.9 behind, got Stroll three ahead. There may be light rain now. Stroll ahead was a 33.1, front-runners were doing 30.8.
“That was a wheel on the grass”
However soon afterwards he spun off at turn four and fell back behind Hulkenberg. Bonnington made sure he understood his error.
Lap: 15/57 ANT: 1’32.212
Bonnington
Suggest coming up on diff mid, one or two steps. Still find the water, look for the water. Antonelli spins at turn four, gets going again but loses a place to Hulkenberg.
Lap: 16/57 ANT: 1’37.326
Bonnington
So Bortoleto 0.9 behind.
Bonnington
So Kimi that was a wheel on the grass, so just be careful.
Lap: 17/57 ANT: 1’32.312
Bonnington
So we have a Stroll ahead at six-and-a-half seconds. Last lap was a 33.8.
Lap: 18/57 ANT: 1’32.181
Bonnington
The rain is picking up. And we go strat mode seven, strat mode.
Lap: 20/57 ANT: 1’31.319
Bonnington
So this rain will persist for another eight to ten minutes.
Antonelli
How is the pace?
Bonnington
Front runners are mid-30, George doing 32.2. So Stroll ahead at 2.8, last lap at 32.6.
Lap: 21/57 ANT: 1’31.042
Bonnington
Okay Kimi, we saw diff high-speed change, diff mid would also be effective plus two, diff mid plus two.
“Has DRS been disabled?”
Antonelli regained his position from Hulkenberg and passed Lance Stroll as well, leaving him one place outside the points. Next he applied pressure to the other Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso, spending several laps within DRS range, then slipping back slightly.
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Lap: 22/57 ANT: 1’31.887
Bonnington
Antonelli passes Stroll at turn 11 Strat mode six, nice work mate. We’ve got Alonso four-and-a-half seconds ahead.
Lap: 23/57 ANT: 1’31.324
Bonnington
And Kimi can we have HPP three position two, three position two.
Lap: 24/57 ANT: 1’30.822
Bonnington
Alonso at 32.5, gap at 3.4.
Lap: 26/57 ANT: 1’31.299
Bonnington
So Alonso ahead, 31.7.
Lap: 27/57 ANT: 1’30.463
Antonelli
Has DRS been disabled?
Bonnington
Negative, that gap is at 1.1.
Bonnington
And think about magic for turn 13 understeer.
Lap: 30/57 ANT: 1’29.794
Antonelli
I’m struggling with overheating.
Bonnington
Okay, copy Kimi. Just think about pulling back the entry, focus on the exit.
Bonnington
And just think about cooling the tyres where you can, driving offline. I’m sure you’re doing as much as you can. You can think about just pushing a b-bal forwards a little, just to help the rears.
“Alonso crashed”
Alonso pulled two seconds clear of Antonelli, then crashed heavily at the exit of turn six. This triggered a Safety Car deployment which Mercedes, like their rivals, reacted to immediately by bringing their driver in for slick tyres.
Lap: 32/57 ANT: 1’29.032
Bonnington
Just start opening up your diff with the understeer.
Bonnington
And Kimi, how far from slicks do you think it is?
Lap: 33/57 ANT: 1’52.635
Antonelli
Still a bit far.
Bonnington
Copy that, Kimi.
Antonelli
Alonso spins into a barrier in front of Antonelli Alonso crashed.
Bonnington
Copy, copy. You are in your Safety Car window for slick tyres.
Antonelli
What the others are doing?
Bonnington
We don’t know yet. So Safety Car, Safety Car. Keep the delta positive. So strat mode one and box, box. So we are going to go to slicks. Thanks for pit confirm.
Bonnington
Antonelli leaves his pit box. The stewards originally deemed Mercedes released him unsafely in front of Hulkenberg and gave him a five-second time penalty, but cancelled their decision after the race Menu wet position one, so menu wet position one. And you’re pushing down to Safety Car [line] two. So just be careful with these tyres, we’re just going to need to build some temp.
“Do you think we can have HPP 12?”
In his first race, Antonelli appeared confident enough with Mercedes’ systems to suggest switch changes before Bonnington advised him to make them.
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Lap: 34/57 ANT: 2’22.596
Antonelli
Do you think we can have HPP 12?
Bonnington
I was about to say, if you go HPP 12, position four. Use your brake magic so you’ve got that on.
Bonnington
Can we have HPP seven position three, seven position three.
Bonnington
The Safety Car did not pick up the leader when it joined the track. Antonelli and other drivers were waved past it after they passed the crash scene Okay Kimi you’re currently sitting in P10. So just being waved through.
Lap: 35/57 ANT: 1’44.670
Bonnington
He approaches the crash scene So Alonso still parked there.
Lap: 36/57 ANT: 1’41.655
Antonelli
Do you think I can switch the HPP 12 off, or still keep it on?
Bonnington
So down to two. Okay Kimi we have marshals on track turn six, seven sorting the gravel and then a recovery vehicle at turn eight. So look for marshals and recovery vehicle. So the Safety Car is between turns 10 and 11.
Lap: 37/57 ANT: 2’07.298
Bonnington
So you’re joining the pack now. So maybe we think about coming back up on HPP 12, position four.
Antonelli
Uh, you want me to switch that off?
Bonnington
Yeah you go 12 position four. And there is a possibility of rain later in the race.
Lap: 38/57 ANT: 2’19.681
Bonnington
Double yellow.
Lap: 39/57 ANT: 2’11.642
Bonnington
And maybe some light rain in the last sector, so 11 to 13.
“Take it easy in this restart”
As drivers prepared for the restart on slick tyres, Bonnington reminded Antonelli not to repeat his earlier error. Shortly afterwards the rain returned, Antonelli passed Leclerc’s spun Ferrari and immediately headed back into the pits for intermediates.
Lap: 40/57 ANT: 2’09.615
Bonnington
Kimi, just take it easy in this restart, just using all the track, there’s still quite a lot of water out there, so it’s a tight line.
Antonelli
Yeah, copy that.
Lap: 41/57 ANT: 2’06.220
Bonnington
So Safety Car’s going to be in this lap.
Antonelli
Copy.
Bonnington
So you can go back on HPP 12. So HPP 12 position one. So it’ll be strat mode five, strat mode five. Safety Car at turn 12.
Lap: 42/57 ANT: 1’27.505
Bonnington
The race restarts It feels like the wind is picking up. And light rain in two to three minutes.
Bonnington
DRS has been enabled. That rain is going to hit us soon. The rain could get pretty intense.
Lap: 44/57 ANT: 1’48.276
Bonnington
And expecting that rain to increase, so let us know what you see.
Bonnington
Box, box. Box, box. Box, box. Box, box. And then wet position three, wet position three.>Russell ahead and Stroll behind also pit. Antonelli is briefly delayed behind his team mate which allows Stroll to get back in front of him through the pits
Lap: 45/57 ANT: 1’35.593
Bonnington
This rain is going to build for two to three minutes.
“Mate, he’s defending!”
Antonelli repassed Stroll, then caught Oliver Bearman, now driving for Haas, who was a lap down. To Antonelli’s frustration Bearman moved towards the inside line as he gained on him approaching turn three.
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Lap: 46/57 ANT: 1’30.780
Bonnington
Antonelli passes Stroll on the outside approaching turn nine Nice work, mate. This last sector looks wet. Bearman ahead is traffic, so he has blue flags. Look for the water as much as you can. Bearman has blue flags.
Lap: 47/57 ANT: 2’05.750
Antonelli
Mate, he’s defending!
Antonelli
So Safety Car, Safety Car, no overtaking. So keep delta positive.
Antonelli
Mate, they’re defending on me, I don’t know?
Bonnington
Yeah, just stay in position now, but yeah, we’re on to them. We’ve also got Lawson off. So Bortoleto off at turn 13, Lawson off turn two. And we’ve got HPP 12 position four, 12 position four. We’ll go strat mode one.
Lap: 48/57 ANT: 1’58.429
Bonnington
Kimi, no more rain expected.
Bonnington
So Safety Car between turns 10 and 11.
Lap: 49/57 ANT: 2’24.964
Bonnington
Just make those temps as best you can, mate. So lapped cars may now overtake, so that’s going to mean Bearman gets out of our way.
“I didn’t press it”
There was some brief confusion when Bonnington saw a ‘pit confirm’ signal from Antonelli’s car when he was not supposed to come in.
Lap: 50/57 ANT: 2’20.284
Bonnington
Bonnington gets the ‘pit confirm’ signal from Antonelli’s car I’m not sure that was a deliberate pit confirm there.
Antonelli
Well, I didn’t press it.
Bonnington
Okay, don’t worry about it
Antonelli
How can I reset it?
Bonnington
It will reset over the line, don’t worry. Okay Kimi so a car ahead, Albon. And you’ve got Stroll, Hulkenberg, Gasly, cars behind everyone on the inter. So not expecting any more rain.
Lap: 51/57 ANT: 2’12.971
Bonnington
So the Safety Car will be in this lap.
Antonelli
Copy.
Bonnington
So HPP 12, position one.
Antonelli
You sure?
Bonnington
You can keep it if you think you need it. Yeah, set it to two, that’ll be fine. So there’ll be six laps remaining when you cross the line.
Bonnington
So strat mode five, strat mode five and focus on this restart.
Bonnington
So gap 1.0 ahead, 2.1 behind.
Lap: 52/57 ANT: 1’35.008
Bonnington
And wind is getting gusty.
Bonnington
And it’ll be four laps remaining.
“Nice job”
By pitting for intermediates before others, Antonelli moved up to fifth place. After the final restart he gained another position by passing Alexander Albon.
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Lap: 54/57 ANT: 1’30.562
Bonnington
Antonelli closes on Albon DRS has been enabled, gap ahead 0.5.
Lap: 55/57 ANT: 1’30.602
Bonnington
And you do have overtake available.
Lap: 56/57 ANT: 1’28.149
Bonnington
You’ve got two laps remaining.
Bonnington
Kimi just remember to pull back the entry for better exits.
Bonnington
Antonelli passes Albon on the outside heading into turn nine Yes, mate. Nice job.
Bonnington
One more lap.
Lap: 57/57 ANT: 1’28.650
Bonnington
Use overtake on this straight, we’ll keep pushing.
Bonnington
Keep pushing to the line, mate.
“You are the only rookie that kept it on the road”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff came on Antonelli’s radio at the end of the race to congratulate him on a successful debut.
Several laps earlier the stewards had issued a five-second time penalty to Antonelli. Mercedes did not distract him with the information during the race and waited until afterwards to let him know.
However after the race finished Mercedes successfully petitioned the stewards to cancel Antonelli’s penalty. He was therefore restored to a superb fourth place on his debut.
Chequered flag
Bonnington
Nice work, Kimi. That was a great drive. That’s P4 on the road. Unfortunately they’ve given us a five-second penalty so it’s bumped us to P5. Five-second penalty was an unsafe release but you did a great job today.
Antonelli
Oh man, fuck, that was close. Woah, what a race!
Bonnington
Yeah, mega, mega job today, mate. Not bad for your first go. And yeah, some of those overtakes were pretty sweet. Can you go strat mode 14 and then HPP one, position 12. And we’ll go strat mode one, strat mode one.
Wolff
Kimi first one. Really really good. Really really good, what a result. You are the only rookie that kept it on the road and we ended up with a P5, that’s mega.
Bonnington
Thank you Toto, thanks everyone, it was a good weekend, thank you everyone.
Bonnington
Yeah it’s a good first crack, mate. Into the pit lane and then just pull up where they direct you to. Top three cars will go down the end. And then when you get out of the car, switch the engine off and then switch P1 off as well. We’ll see you in a bit.
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Max Verstappen says Red Bull need to make a lot of progress with their car to challenge for victories after McLaren won the season-opening race last weekend.
He finished less than a second behind race winner Lando Norris on Sunday. However he fell over 18 seconds behind the winner at one stage until a Safety Car deployment wiped out his disadvantage.
The pace McLaren showed at that point in the race, when Verstappen lost over a second per lap to them at times, highlighted where Red Bull are weaker than their rivals, said Verstappen.
“If you look at the first stint, we were quite a bit off,” he explained. “As soon as the tyres started to overheat we had no chance. McLaren just took off.
“So we still have a lot of work to do to fight for a win. But I’m happy that we are second here. It’s basically one place better than we should have been and it’s 18 more points than I had last year at this race.”
Verstappen spent around a dozen laps pursuing Norris closely at the start of the race but began to drop back when light rain fell and he ran wide at turn 11. Red Bull will focus on improving how their car treats its tyres in upcoming races, he said.
“I could see it coming. I was struggling with my tyres. It was similar to [Saturday]. Intermediates are even more of a soft compound, so they are even more prone to overheating.
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“That’s where we – and a lot of teams – are struggling compared to McLaren. They’re simply doing a better job on that. That’s what we need to work on.”
Despite finishing the race within striking distance of Norris, Verstappen doubted he could have passed the McLaren.
“I tried my best, tried to be close, tried to put a bit of pressure on, but it’s very hard to pass around here,” he said. “There was only one line.
“Even if I had gotten a run into, whatever, turn nine, you have to go onto the wet part, so you can’t really do a lot. But at least it was close. It looked good on TV.”
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Lewis Hamilton’s first race as a Ferrari driver came to a frustrating end as a strategy gamble in the rain-hit race failed to pay off and he sank to 10th place at the finish.
It was also clear he and Ferrari were still refining their communication as he made his debut for them. And as Hamilton admitted, he is still getting to grips with the unfamiliar Ferrari controls after 18 seasons in Mercedes-powered cars.
The clips of his radio messages played on the world television feed gave the impression of a thoroughly miserable afternoon. Was it really as bad as that? Here are his complete radio communications with race engineer Ricardo Adami on Sunday.
Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 Australian Grand Prix radio messages
Jump to:
“I was just wheel spinning” “Is the other car struggling?” “Have I still got my front wing?” “How far am I off?” “Suggest upshift and then DRS” “I’m learning the car as we go mate” “Two laps to heavy rain” “S***, we should have come in” “We lost a lot of places” “Leave me, it’s the last lap, I can see him” “Good work”
“I was just wheel spinning”
The first race of the new season got off to a disrupted start as Isack Hadjar lost control on the wet track surface and crashed during the original formation lap. Race control therefore abandoned their first attempt to start the race.
As Hamilton and Adami debated how best to optimise the start it was clear the seven-times world champion was still getting up to speed on some aspects of his car’s systems.
Attempted start
Adami
For the start, we need torque map two, and you are already in torque map two, so we already selected. Stay in torque map two for the start.
Hamilton
I’m going to torque map six.
Adami
And negative, not available for the start. Go torque map two, please.
Hamilton
Okay.
Adami
Three minutes, and it will be very important to keep temps in those tyres.
Hamilton
B-bal turn one.
Adami
You’ll need a longer hold on the clutch, you did one second, those tests, we need one-and-a-half.
Hamilton
Yeah, I was just wheel spinning there, so.
Adami
Diff mid five for the start, diff mid five. And two minutes.
Adami
Can go pit limiter on.
Hamilton
What’s my position? The yellow line.
Adami
You are like a metre behind, one metre behind. K2 off for the start, K2 off. It’s 10 seconds.
Adami
Four burn-outs, sorry, correction, aborted start. Take your great position and switch off.
Hamilton
No burn-outs.
Adami
No burn-outs. Abort the start, we can switch off in your grid position.
“Is the other car struggling?”
During the hiatus, Hamilton used the opportunity to get more information on how team mate Charles Leclerc was coping with the conditions.
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After the aborted start
Hamilton
What happened?
Adami
It was Hadjar crashed at turn two. For info, you can go P0.
Hamilton
I have no rear end, by the way. Rear tyres’ not working.
Adami
Understood.
Adami
Propping up the rear.
Hamilton
It’s definitely, the rear’s not coming in for some reason. It’s very slippery, having a lot of just breaking traction, just big snaps constantly.
Adami
We lost the sync for the gears, so we are learning on the formation lap.
Hamilton
Is the other car struggling with rear temps?
Adami
Okay, can help you there, adjusting the rears.
Hamilton
And start? It felt okay
Adami
Yeah, the start was okay. Good start. Hadjar spun taking the white line inside turn two.
Hamilton
Sorry?
Adami
Hadjar spun taking the white line inside turn two. B-bal 54, suggestion, b-bal 54.
Adami
And diff three mid six.
Hamilton
Just ask Ricky how much slower I was through turn five there. I keep having a snap on the exit.
Adami
Okay, having a look.
Hamilton
Did you hear from the other car, if they’re struggling as well or not?
Adami
He was pushing a bit more up to turn five, having a bit better temperature, higher temp.
Adami
Five minutes.
Hamilton
What target did I hit?
Adami
Just two percent shallow.
Adami
Before turn five, Charles was avoiding the snap going later on throttle.
Hamilton
Okay. Apex speed at six?
Adami
You were faster by 2kph.
Hamilton
The other corners like turn nine and 10?
Adami
We were pushing a bit the entry in turn nine. And lap time was good across cars. And three minutes.
Hamilton
Should I be looking to go to b-mig five?
Adami
Yeah, it makes sense to us.
Hamilton
But not for turn one?
Adami
Yeah, copy.
Hamilton
For the start into turn one, brake balance back into b-mig three or not?
Adami
We would rather not. Two minutes.
Adami
Okay reminder you to stay longer on clutch, and fire up.
Hamilton
Bite point find again or not?
Adami
Negative, no bite point please. And one minute, and K2 off, K2 off. Ten seconds.
Adami
You were good on the target. Remind you to learn the eighth gear, learn eighth.
Adami
Okay, all set.
Adami
And for burn-outs, repeat, at the DRS line four burn-outs.
Adami
Go mode X and K2 on, mode X, K2 on. And the last car is approaching the grid.
“Have I still got my front wing?”
Hamilton took a look at Leclerc at turn one, but backed out of a move
After the race started it was neutralised almost immediately as Jack Doohan and Carlos Sainz Jnr had separate crashes. Hamilton was also concerned he might have picked up damage, though his team informed him his car was intact.
Lap: 1/57 HAM: 2’12.883
Adami
Safety Car, Safety Car.
Hamilton
Have I still got my front wing?
Adami
On the data, all fine, all fine from data. Stay out and charge button on.
Hamilton
Dry line starting to appear, through exit of 11.
Adami
Okay, good info, thank you. Try to keep temperature in the tyres, of course.
Lap: 2/57 HAM: 2’49.908
Adami
Multi green exit position four, multi green exit four. And go charge off and mode FW. The car stopped on the track there. Check for debris.
Hamilton
It’s super slippery.
Adami
Adami’s former driver is out of the race Also Sainz spun and crashed at turn 14, so you can use the pit lane.
Hamilton
Repeat
Adami
You must use the pit lane. Sainz crash in last corner in the barriers. Remind you, pit limiter all through the pit lane, pit limiter.
Adami
Adami appears to be checking what data Hamilton is accessing on his steering wheel Ignore the fuel bar, you’re taking a look on the fuel bar, ignore it.
Adami
Remind you pit limiter.
Hamilton
It’s pretty hectic.
Adami
Copy, understood.
Hamilton
Exit five, he lost it.
Lap: 3/57 HAM: 2’43.813
Adami
Copy, we saw that.
Adami
Have to warm up the tyres, weaving in the straights. And also visibility check, front wing is okay, from when you come, when you went past.
Adami
And avoid the black paint line inside 14, that’s why Sainz spun. Avoid the black paint. We can go charge on and pre-select mode X, charge on and mode X.
Hamilton
Leclerc also queried why it was taking so long to recover Doohan’s crash car There’s still a car, before turn six, there’s still a car broke on the road.
Adami
Understood, copy. Again, through the pit lane, follow the others.
Hamilton
Generally feeling on the nose
Adami
Diff mid seven to help you. Diff mid seven.
Lap: 4/57 HAM: 2’34.100
Adami
Recovery vehicle turn six, be careful.
Hamilton
Track is drying. Still greasy everywhere, but…
Adami
Forming a line, yeah, copy. And no rain expected for the next 20 minutes. Just pre-select mode X for the restart, eventually. Mode X now, and stay mode charge, charge button on.
Hamilton
Yeah, no problem. Just don’t repeat everything, please.
Adami
Understood. Think about S1 to warm up the fronts, if it’s helping.
Hamilton
The tyres’ still cold?
Adami
He enters the pits again Remind you, pit limiter. The front looks cold. Keep working on your fronts.
Lap: 5/57 HAM: 2’21.772
Adami
Could be one more lap.
Hamilton
It will be more one lap?
Adami
Yep, one more lap, we believe. Just follow the others on the pit straight, follow the others. And no more rain for at least 30 minutes, for info.
Lap: 6/57 HAM: 2’20.418
Adami
Diff entry eight for the restart. Diff entry eight. So one more lap, we believe, one more lap. Good job on tyres, you’re doing a good job.
Hamilton
Track is drying, but still very greasy.
Understood.
Lap: 7/57 HAM: 2’07.498
Adami
Safety Car in this lap.
Adami
K2 on for the restart, keep working on your tyres. Then we’ll be K2 off, turn three.
Hamilton
Drive-ability is pretty difficult.
Adami
Understood.
“How far am I off?”
After a long delay while the damaged cars were cleared away, the race restarted and Hamilton was finally able to get up to speed. However he spent the opening stint of the race stuck behind Alexander Albon’s Williams.
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Lap: 8/57 HAM: 1’38.311
Adami
The race restarts And multi white RB position four when you can.
Lap: 10/57 HAM: 1’35.107
Adami
And think about diff mid six. And multi white RB one when you can.
Lap: 12/57 HAM: 1’33.255
Adami
DRS enabled.
Hamilton
Let me know where I’m slow. I’m struggling with drive-ability. Car’s snappy.
Adami
11,12.
Lap: 13/57 HAM: 1’33.017
Adami
Can use K1 to close.
Hamilton
Leave me to it, please.
Adami
Possibly misunderstood his reply as a request to repeat K1 available.
Hamilton
Yes, I know. Leave me to it, please.
Adami
B-bal 56 will help, 56.
Lap: 14/57 HAM: 1’32.992
Hamilton
How far am I off?
Adami
0.8 but Charles is in free air.
Lap: 15/57 HAM: 1’32.763
Adami
Charles lap time 32 .4
Lap: 16/57 HAM: 1’32.749
Hamilton
Hard to get close.
Adami
Can see that.
“Suggest upshift and then DRS”
Adami gave Hamilton occasional pieces of information on how to resolve problems with his car. However given the tricky conditions Hamilton wasn’t always prepared to act on them.
Lap: 17/57 HAM: 1’32.830
Adami
Spots of rain in the pit lane, also down to turn three, have a look, be careful.
Hamilton
Yeah [unclear] pace.
Adami
Also turn 11, reported a bit more rain, watch out. Pace is good. Class one rain in the pit lane, still same intensity as before.
Lap: 19/57 HAM: 1’32.914
Adami
This level of light rain for 10 minutes.
Lap: 20/57 HAM: 1’32.341
Hamilton
Where am I down? It’s hard to…
Adami
Turn one, place to focus, while you’re in traffic, of course.
Adami
Hamilton appears to be failing to activate DRS at times For the DRS activation is upshift and then DRS, if you have some denied. Charles is 31 .7, so pace is good.
Lap: 22/57 HAM: 1’32.041
Adami
And we suggest…
Hamilton
Interrupts Lost gear sync, lost gear sync.
Adami
Understood. We suggest b-mig [brake migration] three. Suggestion also EB2, engine braking two.
Lap: 23/57 HAM: 1’31.771
Adami
Last you did was a very good turn one.
Hamilton
Yeah, understeer is most of the issue.
Adami
Copy.
Lap: 24/57 HAM: 1’31.852
Adami
We suggest EB3, engine braking three. To avoid the denied DRS, we suggest upshift and then DRS.
Lap: 25/57 HAM: 1’30.860
Hamilton
Please leave it, just leave it.
“I’m learning the car as we go, mate”
The F1 race director focused on the messages from Adami instructing Hamilton to use the engine mode ‘K1’, and Hamilton’s reluctance to do so. However these were only a small part of the total communication between the pair.
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Lap: 27/57 HAM: 1’30.755
Hamilton
I’m learning the car as we go, mate, just leave me to it with the DRS, it’s not an issue.
Adami
The car is okay, just a lot of understeer as you can see, and hold K1. Think about engine braking to help the balance.
Lap: 28/57 HAM: 1’30.143
Adami
Try to hold the K1, just for practise, I know it’s difficult…
Lap: 30/57 HAM: 1’29.737
Hamilton
I’m not close enough.
Adami
Copy.
Hamilton
I’m not close enough. When I get close, I’ll do it.
Adami
Understood.
Adami
And when you can, let me know for track conditions.
Lap: 31/57 HAM: 1’30.422
Hamilton
The track is drying but the tyres still feel good.
Adami
Understood.
Hamilton
It’s going to be slicks soon.
Adami
Understood.
Adami
And when you can, multi blue, DG, position 14. Hamilton makes the settings change immediately
Lap: 32/57 HAM: 1’30.234
Adami
All set. Thank you.
Hamilton
[Unclear] pace now.
Adami
Understood.
Hamilton
Dry line is appearing, except for the last corner. Think it’s very close.
“This hard tyre is going to be hard to switch on”
By now the track was starting to dry out. When Fernando Alonso crashed and the Safety Car reappeared, Ferrari joined their rivals in seizing the opportunity to fit slick tyres. Hamilton wanted a softer set of tyres than the hards he was given, but appeared to raise his request too late for Ferrari to consider it.
Lap: 33/57 HAM: 1’50.479
Adami
Understood. Good info. We are monitoring.
Hamilton
[Unclear]. How’s my pace compared to the guys?
Adami
Alonso crashes Stand by. Safety Car, Safety Car and box, Safety Car and box.
Hamilton
Approaching penultimate corner Need a tyre that’s going to warm up.
Adami
K2 on. Tyre target three. All good.
Lap: 34/57 HAM: 2’26.885
Hamilton
Yeah guys, I don’t know, this hard tyre is going to be hard to switch on.
Adami
Understood. Tyre position three. Try your best.
Adami
Charge button off.
Hamilton
Did you put wing in? This Safety Car is going extra slow… [spots Alonso’s car] Oh, I see him.
Hamilton
He follows other cars past the Safety Car Why are we going past the Safety Car? We’ve all passed the Safety Car, is that okay?
Adami
Yeah, that’s okay.
Hamilton
Why?
Adami
Because the leader is behind. Keep working on your tyres, and you can pre-select mode race.
Lap: 35/57 HAM: 1’43.401
Adami
Radio still open.
Hamilton
Were we that far behind? So we’ve not gained anything on that, right?
Adami
Yeah, correct. We are in the same position, bad timing. Just watch for the debris there when you go through.
Hamilton
Hamilton is catching back up to the Safety Car I’ve got no warnings on my delta. Strange.
Adami
Investigating.
Hamilton
It’s stuck now in this position.
Adami
Suggest multi white RP eight to help you with these tyres. Charge off.
Lap: 36/57 HAM: 1’42.431
Hamilton
Both talk at once There’s only one line.
Adami
Copy, understood.
Hamilton
Repeat.
Adami
Charge off, mode FW.
Hamilton
How many laps left? Still getting no warnings.
Adami
21 to go.
Hamilton
Everyone else has stopped as well, yeah?
Adami
Yeah, correct. All on the hard, apart from Verstappen on the medium, Tsunoda and Albon on the medium, all the rest on hard. Is a long race.
Lap: 37/57 HAM: 2’08.079
Hamilton
How far behind are we?
Adami
The safety car is at turn eight. And there is a vehicle to pick up Alonso. And careful for recovery vehicle on track.
Adami
Safety Car at turn 11. And multi red FM position five.
Lap: 38/57 HAM: 2’18.415
Adami
Double yellow where you are and drink reminder if you need
Hamilton
How far were they… was everyone ahead of catch-up car?
Hamilton
They talk at once There’s nowhere to go offline.
Adami
RB3, please. Hamilton makes the change
Adami
Okay, all set, thank you.
Lap: 39/57 HAM: 2’12.085
Adami
Sector reported clear, should be ‘lapped car may now overtake’ in front. Just for info, we’re currently P8. Got Gasly behind on hard and Albon ahead on medium.
Lap: 40/57 HAM: 2’11.407
Hamilton
There’s no place offline you can overtake right now, it’s wet everywhere
Adami
Keep working on your tyres, it won’t be long.
“Two laps to heavy rain”
The race restarted again but Ferrari realised it wasn’t going to stay dry for long as another shower was coming. Although they saw the approaching rain was “heavy”, it also appeared brief, and this emboldened them to see it out without switching to slicks. It proved a costly gamble.
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Lap: 41/57 HAM: 2’06.607
Adami
Safety Car in this lap, get ready. Charge on, RB position one, multi white RB position one. You can preselect mode race for the restart.
Hamilton
Laps left?
Adami
16 in the line, one-six. K2 off at turn three. K2 once, okay copy, all set. The race restarts
Lap: 43/57 HAM: 1’24.218
Adami
DRS enabled.
Hamilton
Is there more rain coming?
Adami
In two laps, will be class four, lasting only two laps.
Adami
Hard to overtake people on medium.
Adami
Suggest engine braking two, EB2. Copy that. Spots of rain in the pit lane, for info.
Lap: 44/57 HAM: 1’29.454
Adami
Two laps to heavy rain, short and sharp, heavy rain, lasting two laps.
Hamilton
Okay, understood.
Lap: 45/57 HAM: 1’33.045
Adami
Currently P3. For now we are staying out, let us know if you need inters.
Hamilton
It’s okay, just keep me up to date with the last sector. It’s quite slippery.
Adami
Yellow flag. Approaching turn 11 Keep it on-track. Verstappen slow. Be careful 11. Hamilton runs deep at turn 12 but stays on-track
“S***, we should have come in”
Hamilton’s frustration peaked when he realised the mistake they had made by not changing back to intermediate rubber earlier.
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Lap: 46/57 HAM: 1’36.714
Adami
Sector three is the wettest.
Hamilton
Is more rain coming?
Adami
Negative, just this. Hopefully. Let’s see. Still raining in the pit lane. Eight seconds to the current leader. The leader is Verstappen. He’s staying out, staying out. Keep it together, last sector. Verstappen struggling for grip, be careful there.
Adami
This is the wettest part, you are leading the race.
Lap: 47/57 HAM: 2’30.695
Hamilton
It’s very slippery mate. There’s more rain coming down. Hamilton is passed at the exit of turn two
Hamilton
Ah shit, we should have come in. More rain’s come… Whole track’s wet now.
Adami
You should stop in one lap, keep it together, Charles car behind. He’s on hard. Safety Car, Safety Car.
Hamilton
Yeah, mate, it’s so slippery. It’s too dangerous to stay on this tyre. What do you suggest? It’s come down quite a lot. I don’t think this is going to dry up any time soon. Yeah it’s fully, full wet. Like inters.
Adami
Yes, stand by. We think boxing if you’re happy. Still pissing down in the pit lane.
Hamilton
Yeah, it’s very slippery.
Adami
Yeah. Okay, box, box.
Hamilton
Are you sure you put more wing that I had earlier?
Adami
Confirm. Four clicks. K2 on. Tyre target seven, tyre target position seven. All clear ahead. Charge button on and mode X.
“We lost a lot of places”
Leclerc passed Hamilton immediately after the restart
The radio went quiet for several laps immediately after the next restart as Hamilton had his hands full. Leclerc passed him but he gained a position from Pierre Gasly.
Lap: 48/57 HAM: 1’59.219
Hamilton
We lost a lot of positions?
Adami
Hamilton appears not to hear this P9 and P10.
Hamilton
We lost a lot of places.
Adami
Multi red FM position nine. Position one, sorry.
Hamilton
Is everyone ahead on inters?
Adami
Everybody on inters.
Hamilton
Thought you said it wasn’t going to rain much? Just missed a big opportunity there. What position am I now? Back in…
Lap: 49/57 HAM: 2’24.575
Adami
P9
Hamilton
Nine again. Shit. How many laps left… Sorry, I didn’t realise the radio was on.
Adami
There’ll be eight laps to go. Multi white RB8.
Adami
Driver default delta zero on when you can.
Adami
You can reset your multifunction position.
Lap: 50/57 HAM: 2’17.095
Hamilton
How many laps left?
Adami
Seven laps to go when you cross the line. Right, you’ve got Gasly ahead of you, then Hulkenberg and Stroll. P6, Stroll.
Lap: 51/57 HAM: 2’11.311
Hamilton
I didn’t hear what you just said. I’ve got cars what ahead of me?
Adami
Ahead is Gasly, Hulkenberg and Stroll. Stroll P6. Multi white RB position one and Safety Car in this lap. And behind you, instead, you got Charles, Tsunoda, Ocon, Piastri, car behind.
Adami
It’ll be just K2 on for the restart. K2 off at turn three. Leclerc passes Hamilton immediately after the restart. No messages are exchanged for a while
“Leave me, it’s the last lap, I can see him”
A tough race had one final blow for Hamilton. Oscar Piastri, recovering from a spin earlier in the race, mugged him around the outside of turn nine on the final lap, leaving him last of the points-scorers.
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Lap: 53/57 HAM: 1’33.039
Adami
Piastri car behind, two-and-a-half seconds, 2.3
Adami
Four laps to go, four laps to go. DRS enabled.
Lap: 56/57 HAM: 1’30.095
Adami
Diff entry eight, suggestion, and diff mid five to help you. And Piastri car behind, 11.5.
Hamilton
How many laps?
Adami
The next will be the last lap. Piastri one and a half behind. Piastri 0.6 behind, 0.5.
Lap: 57/57 HAM: 1’32.418
Hamilton
Leave me, it’s the last lap, I can see him. Piastri passes Hamilton on the outside at turn nine
“Good work”
The pair kept things positive after Hamilton took the chequered flag, but they won’t want many more races like that one.
Chequered flag
Adami
Hamilton crosses the line And P10. And good work out there, you can charge button on please. Not good timing there, but good work.
Hamilton
Yeah, it wasn’t great, but we keep pushing. At least we didn’t come home completely empty-handed. Let’s keep pushing.
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Lando Norris said McLaren should be regarded as the championship favourites following his victory in the season-opening race yesterday.
However Norris, who led Max Verstappen home by less than a second, pointed out rival teams could overturn the advantage McLaren showed in Melbourne yesterday.
“Max was three-tenths off yesterday,” Norris pointed out after the race. “Last year, we were much further off [but] ended up with the best car by the end of the season. We were over half a second off at the beginning of last year behind Red Bull and ended up with the quickest car.”
He dismissed George Russell’s claim McLaren are so far ahead they could win the championship without putting further development into their MCL39. As last season’s champions, McLaren are already permitted less wind tunnel testing time than their rivals under F1’s performance handicapping rules.
“I know George made some comments earlier this weekend that we can just turn our focus to 2026,” he said. “If that’s their mentality, wonderful, but that’s not the mentality to have.”
“We know we still have a lot of work to do on this year’s car. If you relax in this position, you fail. In Formula 1, if you start thinking things are good and groovy, that’s when you get caught.”
McLaren and Mercedes are tied on points after the season-opener, while Norris leads Verstappen by seven points in the drivers’ championship. But Norris suspects other tracks won’t suit their car as well as Melbourne did, such as Bahrain International Circuit, where teams tested last month.
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“I do think we’re favourites because the team has done an amazing job and the car is flying,” he said. “But we will have races where we struggle.
“If we started the season in Bahrain, I don’t think we would have won, and [I wouldn’t be asked] this question. Let’s allow a few more races to take place before making any obvious statements.”
Norris came under sustained pressure during yesterday’s race from his own team mate, Oscar Piastri, as well as Verstappen. Sitting next to Verstappen and Russell, whose team mates are far less experienced than Piastri, Norris pointedly remarked that McLaren’s driver line-up is part of its strength.
“We are the team to beat, mainly because we have two drivers up there pushing each other. That helps.
“Do I think me and Oscar pushing each other in qualifying yesterday allowed us to get one-and-a-half [tenths], one tenth more than the two drivers here, because their team mates aren’t as equipped or experienced? Yes. So add that into the equation as well.
“It’s not just about the car. The team has done an amazing job, and I thank them for everything they’re doing. But we know we can make it better, and that’s our aim.”
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Teams’ fastest lap times in Melbourne
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