Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso – in his 22nd Formula 1 campaign – is still encountering a new experience. It’s not just the six rookie racers on the 2025 grid. In Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, he’s racing his own official protege.
Since 2023, Bortoleto has been a part of Alonso’s A14 driver management stable.
This is run by Albert Resclosa Coll and Alberto Fernandez Albilares along with the double F1 world champion, but in putting Bortoleto on the F1 grid, A14 has one of its clients actually racing against its founder on the grandest stage in motorsport.
In the modern motorsport age, that’s a unique situation. Therefore, Motorsport.com asked Alonso and Bortoleto to explain exactly how it will work if their respective green machines ever come close on track in 2025.
“I think there are clear rules that I stay in front! That’s my understanding!” Alonso initially joked at last weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix. “No, jokes aside, it’s great to see Gabriel’s career so far. For us at A14, we feel extremely proud of the relationship.
“This year is going to be the first year he’s not winning [after Bortoleto won the 2023 Formula 3 and 2024 Formula 2 championships as a rookie in each category], so we have to maybe accept that.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
“But it’s part of his learning curve. For me, it’s a bit different. All the advice and insights I’ve given him over the past two years – it’s a bit strange now. Because I’m giving him the same, trying to help him as much as I can with experience of circuits, preparation, how to approach race weekends, marketing activities, the way to spend energy, save energy – all those kinds of things [now in F1 with me].
“I don’t think this is affecting any of the performance. At the end of the day, we rely a lot on our teams, our cars, and our packages.
“I don’t feel like I’m giving away something magic and someone will benefit. I’m just trying to apply common sense and help him perform when he puts the helmet on, which is the most important part of Formula 1. I think it’s working fine and will continue to do so.”
Ahead of the Australian GP season opener, Bortoleto sought out his manager’s advice on dealing with his first experience of wet-weather F1 competition. He also discussed tyre strategy with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on the drivers’ parade in Melbourne.
But a simple focus on driving within the emerging dry ‘tram lines’ was what Alonso emphasised. In the end, both drivers crashed out, with Bortoleto joking, “He told me, “just survive” and then both of us died!”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“Regarding the rules, I have in my contract that I need to give him a slipstream every time I see him in quali!” the Brazilian also quipped in the Shanghai pre-event press conference, where Alonso was quick to point how long the back straight is at the Chinese venue.
“He’s been very good. He’s been able to teach me a lot of these things – how to maximise my performance on track by managing my efforts outside of it. Things like how to handle the [early GP weekend] days here, Thursdays and Fridays, to be focused on what really matters during the weekend. It’s been very nice so far.
“In Australia, we didn’t really get to fight each other properly, but hopefully, in China, we can have some side-by-side battles. That would be nice for me.
“I’ve watched him my whole life racing, and now racing against him in Formula 1, with him also being my manager, it’s going to be very nice. A good opportunity.”
Ultimately, that hope did not come to pass in Shanghai, with Alonso well ahead in the sprint (although 13s behind Lance Stroll in the other AMR24) before Bortoleto spun off early in the GP.
Alonso retired from that contest after just four laps due to debris getting stuck in his Aston’s braking system.
Motorsport.com spotted the pair deep in commiserating conversation on one of the walkways over the giant pond that houses many of the team hospitality buildings in the huge Shanghai paddock. It has not been the start either wanted to the 2025 campaign.
And the wait for the fun stuff – a racing chapter in this unique relationship – for now goes on too…
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In this article
Alex Kalinauckas
Formula 1
Fernando Alonso
Gabriel Bortoleto
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Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso – in his 22nd Formula 1 campaign – is still encountering a new experience. It’s not just the six rookie racers on the 2025 grid. In Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, he’s racing his own official protege.
Since 2023, Bortoleto has been a part of Alonso’s A14 driver management stable.
This is run by Albert Resclosa Coll and Alberto Fernandez Albilares along with the double F1 world champion, but in putting Bortoleto on the F1 grid, A14 has one of its clients actually racing against its founder on the grandest stage in motorsport.
In the modern motorsport age, that’s a unique situation. Therefore, Autosport asked Alonso and Bortoleto to explain exactly how it will work if their respective green machines ever come close on track in 2025.
“I think there are clear rules that I stay in front! That’s my understanding!” Alonso initially joked at last weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix. “No, jokes aside, it’s great to see Gabriel’s career so far. For us at A14, we feel extremely proud of the relationship.
“This year is going to be the first year he’s not winning [after Bortoleto won the 2023 Formula 3 and 2024 Formula 2 championships as a rookie in each category], so we have to maybe accept that.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“But it’s part of his learning curve. For me, it’s a bit different. All the advice and insights I’ve given him over the past two years – it’s a bit strange now. Because I’m giving him the same, trying to help him as much as I can with experience of circuits, preparation, how to approach race weekends, marketing activities, the way to spend energy, save energy – all those kinds of things [now in F1 with me].
“I don’t think this is affecting any of the performance. At the end of the day, we rely a lot on our teams, our cars, and our packages.
“I don’t feel like I’m giving away something magic and someone will benefit. I’m just trying to apply common sense and help him perform when he puts the helmet on, which is the most important part of Formula 1. I think it’s working fine and will continue to do so.”
Ahead of the Australian GP season opener, Bortoleto sought out his manager’s advice on dealing with his first experience of wet-weather F1 competition. He also discussed tyre strategy with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on the drivers’ parade in Melbourne.
But a simple focus on driving within the emerging dry ‘tram lines’ was what Alonso emphasised. In the end, both drivers crashed out, with Bortoleto joking, “He told me, “just survive” and then both of us died!”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“Regarding the rules, I have in my contract that I need to give him a slipstream every time I see him in quali!” the Brazilian also quipped in the Shanghai pre-event press conference, where Alonso was quick to point how long the back straight is at the Chinese venue.
“He’s been very good. He’s been able to teach me a lot of these things – how to maximise my performance on track by managing my efforts outside of it. Things like how to handle the [early GP weekend] days here, Thursdays and Fridays, to be focused on what really matters during the weekend. It’s been very nice so far.
“In Australia, we didn’t really get to fight each other properly, but hopefully, in China, we can have some side-by-side battles. That would be nice for me.
“I’ve watched him my whole life racing, and now racing against him in Formula 1, with him also being my manager, it’s going to be very nice. A good opportunity.”
Ultimately, that hope did not come to pass in Shanghai, with Alonso well ahead in the sprint (although 13s behind Lance Stroll in the other AMR24) before Bortoleto spun off early in the grand prix.
Alonso retired from that contest after just four laps due to debris getting stuck in his Aston’s braking system.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Autosport spotted the pair deep in commiserating conversation on one of the walkways over the giant pond that houses many of the team hospitality buildings in the huge Shanghai paddock. It has not been the start either wanted to the 2025 campaign.
And the wait for the fun stuff – a racing chapter in this unique relationship – for now goes on too…
Read Also:
In this article
Alex Kalinauckas
Formula 1
Fernando Alonso
Gabriel Bortoleto
Be the first to know and subscribe for real-time news email updates on these topics
Which Formula 1 driver made the most of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend?
It’s time to give your verdict on which driver did the best with the equipment at their disposal over the last three days.
Review how each driver got on below and vote for who impressed you the most at Shanghai International Circuit.
Driver performance summary
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Vote for your driver of the weekend
Which driver do you think did the best job throughout the race weekend?
Who got the most out of their car in qualifying and the race? Who put their team mate in the shade?
Cast your vote below and explain why you chose the driver you picked in the comments.
Who was the best driver of the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix weekend?
No opinion (0%)
Gabriel Bortoleto (0%)
Nico Hulkenberg (0%)
Carlos Sainz Jnr (0%)
Alexander Albon (1%)
Yuki Tsunoda (0%)
Isack Hadjar (2%)
Oliver Bearman (11%)
Esteban Ocon (8%)
Pierre Gasly (0%)
Jack Doohan (1%)
Fernando Alonso (0%)
Lance Stroll (0%)
George Russell (11%)
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (1%)
Liam Lawson (0%)
Max Verstappen (12%)
Lewis Hamilton (4%)
Charles Leclerc (1%)
Oscar Piastri (47%)
Lando Norris (1%)
Total Voters: 85
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Jack Doohan has collected the first penalty points of his Formula 1 career for a last-lap crash in today’s sprint race.
The Alpine driver lunged down the inside of Gabriel Bortoleto at turn 14 and made contact with the Sauber driver. The stewards ruled him wholly responsible for the incident.
“I think he locked up and hit me,” said Bortoleto after the race. Doohan said he “went for a move, it didn’t exactly go to plan, I need to look into it and see what happened.”
The stewards spoke to both drivers before issuing the penalty. Doohan told them the Haas cars ahead when he tried to pass Doohan compromised his attempt to overtake. The stewards did not accept his explanation and held him responsible.
Doohan also tangled with Lawson
“[Doohan] attempted to overtake [Bortoleto] on the inside of turn 14 but locked up at the apex of the corner and collided with Bortoleto,” they noted. “Doohan suggested that he was in control of the overtake but the presence of the two Haas cars and the line they took compromised his overtake attempt.
“First, as the car attempting to overtake, the responsibility was on Doohan to ensure that it was done in a safe manner and in line with the regulations and the guidelines.
“Secondly, applying the Driving Standards Guidelines, Doohan did not have the right to the corner at the apex and should have backed off – here, because of the speed at which he approached the corner for the overtake and the resulting lockup and understeer, a collision was caused, for which Doohan was predominantly to blame. We therefore imposed the standard 10-second penalty with two penalty points.”
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The stewards also explained why they chose not to penalise Doohan or Liam Lawson for a minor collision between the pair at the same corner earlier in the race.
“Car 30 [Lawson] overtook car seven [Doohan] at turn 14 and there was a minor collision at the exit.” they noted.
“We applied the Driving Standards Guidelines as a guide to determine who had the right to the corner. Applying those guidelines, it is clear that Lawson was well ahead of Doohan at the apex of the corner and was entitled to use the full track at the exit.
“Doohan should therefore have given Lawson sufficient room to overtake and his failure to do so resulted in a minor collision. As the resulting collision was minor, we took no further action.”
This article will be updated.
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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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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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Six drivers began their first full Formula 1 seasons in today’s Australian Grand Prix but four of them failed to see the chequered flag in the tricky conditions.
Two of them were out before the first lap was over. Unquestionably the most dejected was Isack Hadjar, who spun into a barrier at turn two on the formation lap, causing a delay to the start of the race.
The Racing Bulls driver said he was focused on tyre preparation when his car got away from him. “Usually I take it step-by-step,” he told the official F1 channel. “We were keen on having the best out-lap possible for the race start.
“Early in the lap you try to warm those tyres and I over-did it. The tiniest mistake you can do, and the car is unsave-able. You’re just a passenger, and it feels terrible.”
The original race start was aborted so Hadjar’s car could be recovered and the grand prix eventually began a quarter of an hour behind schedule. Soon after it started, Jack Doohan’s Alpine snapped out of control at turn six.
The Alpine driver, making his second start in a grand prix, said his crash was “the result of a combination of factors which we will go over together as a team to learn from and ensure it does not happen again.”
“It is a tough way to learn but I have digested what happened and put it behind me to focus on what is ahead.”
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Gabriel Bortoleto’s grand prix debut ended after the rain returned on lap 46. He had just switched to a set of intermediates at the time. “Unfortunately I touched the kerb and ended up in the wall,” he admitted.
On the next lap Liam Lawson spun into a barrier. The most experience of the rookies had tried to brave out the shower on his 14-lap-old set of medium slicks.
“We took a chance, to be honest, hoping at least half the track would stay dry,” he said. “We knew that sector three was bad, but we thought that sector one would stay a little bit drier, so we carried on.
“Unfortunately it was bucketing down with rain. At that point, to be honest, I’d backed out of pushing at that point because it was so wet. I was just trying to stay on track, but obviously not ideal.”
One the six-strong rookie contingent, two made it to the chequered flag in a gruelling race. Andrea Kimi Antonelli was the only one to score points, claiming a fine fourth for Mercedes having started 16th. Oliver Bearman redeemed himself somewhat after making two serious errors in practice by getting his Haas to the chequered flag.
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Despite the majority having previous Formula 1 experience, history will reflect that six rookies started the 2025 season at the Australian Grand Prix – and it was a chastening experience for all but one of them.
While the changeable conditions saw four crash out, plus one endure a tough weekend and finish last, Andrea Kimi Antonelli gave a glimpse of his huge potential by taking fifth place for Mercedes.
Motorsport.com looked at how the sextet fared around Albert Park on what was a memorable start to the campaign.
High-five for Antonelli
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Whether you see Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton’s direct replacement or not, he stood out head and shoulders above the other five rookies with a fine performance.
Starting down in 16th, the 18-year-old showed maturity to move up through the pack, making notable overtakes – including twice passing Nico Hulkenberg in near carbon copy moves, having let the experienced Sauber man back through after a spin.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff called the drive “mega” as Antonelli crossed the line fourth but was ultimately dropped to fifth following a five-second penalty for an unsafe pitstop release into the path of Hulkenberg.
“I think today we got all the possible worst conditions for a first race,” he said. “We got wet, slicks on damp, slicks on wet, and then back to wet. So definitely a really, really eventful race, but I’m really happy how it was managed from my side and from the team.
“Of course, I did a couple of mistakes, especially the spin, but the conditions were super, super tricky. Also those white lines were a killer.
“The team really helped me throughout the whole race and made all the right calls, and [I] definitely cannot complain about today.”
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Wolff gave a glowing review of Antonelli’s debut display: “He just reeled them in one by one, showed the pace when he had no traffic, and then eventually ended up P4 on the road and P5 from a result, and that’s really impressive.
“Even very good drivers spun or hit the wall, and it’s easier to not finish than to finish. He kept his cool and it was just very impressive to see, and it shows that he has a good future as long as the trajectory keeps being like it is.”
Ollie has to grin and bear it
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
For Oliver Bearman, it could be seen as a positive that the 19-year-old finished the race for Haas, given he had crashed out in free practice one and three – sitting out the second session due to the damage to his car.
He also struggled in wet weather as a stand-in for Haas at last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix but brought the car home in Melbourne, even if he was last of the runners to take the chequered flag.
Starting from the pitlane, Bearman was pleased with his performance although he conceded Haas would need to find improvements moving forward.
“It’s an achievement just to finish a race like this because they’re incredibly difficult,” said the British racer.
“Of course, I don’t want to dwell on the past. I want to get rid of it and move on to the next one. I’m not pleased with my mistakes, but to finish the race in a good way on my side gives me confidence going to China.
“This inter tyre is very tough when it starts to rain again and I was happy with my performance and execution, even if as a team we’re still missing pace.
“[It is] incredibly, incredibly tough to drive the car in these conditions. It’s the toughest you’ll find and even if in Brazil I was fighting for the points and now I’m fighting to really catch or stay on the pack, it’s a different type of race compared to the one I was in in Brazil.
“But same push and drive, and I’m glad that I’ve learned from the mistakes I made in Brazil and had a relatively error-free race.”
A-Borted start
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
Gabriel Bortoleto outqualified team-mate Hulkenberg, not bad for a man starting his first F1 race to a wizened campaigner of 228 grand prix.
The Brazilian has been batting away questions surrounding remarks from Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who labelled the 20-year-old a “B” grade driver.
He ultimately crashed out in the latter stages in Australia but had looked in good shape, all things considered, until that point – although he was hit with a five-second penalty for an unsafe release.
“Obviously not an easy start. I would say it was a good weekend overall for all the learning we got there,” said the back-to-back F3 and F2 champion.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t finish as we expected. Luckily for the team, Nico scored some good points and I’m very happy for them. I’m sorry for my mistake there. I tried to recover a bit what we lost in the safety car and I’m looking forward to China now.
“We take some positives from this weekend. We learn from the negatives, and heads up. It’s just the beginning of a long season.
“I was very close to Nico the whole race on inters. Then we went to pit and then we double-stacked. I lost a lot of time there with the safety car as well, with the unsafe release.”
Aussie curse strikes Doohan
Jack Doohan, Alpine crash
Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images
Ask most people in the F1 paddock and they will tell you that Jack Doohan was already under pressure before a wheel had been turned this season.
Having raced for Alpine in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the end of 2024, the Australian came into this year with speculation he was already driving for his seat after Franco Colapinto joined the team as a reserve driver.
Crashing out of his home race on the opening lap will do little to silence those rumours, but the 22-year-old was determined to take positives away from a tough weekend.
“In this sport, things happen very quickly, as we’ve just seen, and the next round is already almost upon us,” he said, already turning an eye to the Chinese Grand Prix next weekend.
“So it was an unfortunate way [to go out], but a lesson is learned. I’ve digested it. There’s a lot of positives that we have to take away from this weekend, and for me they outweigh this negative, and I’m looking forward to bouncing back for next weekend.
“It seemed I lost it on the third to fourth gear upshift. As soon as I went into fourth, I lost the car.
“I think maybe a combination of the white line, but it seems that we had a spike in RPM when I’ve upshifted to fourth so we’re just double-checking to make sure that everything’s behaving itself and maybe a little bit less right foot, a little bit more left, and it won’t happen again.
“So some things that I’m going to need to understand because, for me, that wasn’t out of the normal, but a constant learning process. Unfortunately, this one has big consequences.
“But I’ve definitely learned, and I’m going to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”
Hamilton hugs for Hadjar
Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team, Anthony Hamilton
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
For Isack Hadjar, qualifying 11th for his debut race would have been seen as a fine start to life at Racing Bulls.
However, he did not even make the start of the race as the tricky track surface caught him out on the formation lap when a spin ended with the Frenchman breaking his rear wing in the wall.
Visibly upset, the 20-year-old was consoled on his return to the paddock by Anthony Hamilton, father of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
“I’m just embarrassed and sorry for the team,” Hadjar said, his accident having caused an aborted start to the 2025 season.
“I overdid it, I just over-slipped the rears and once I lost the car, I tried to save it but I was just a passenger, it just snapped so fast and I didn’t expect it.
“I’m just mad that these mistakes can happen. Breaking the car so early in the season really breaks my heart. I’m really sorry for the team. I’m missing out on more experience. My first grand prix, missing out on a wet track.”
Asked about Anthony Hamilton’s input, he added: “It means a lot, knowing that he knew where I was, how bad I felt, to go and see me in the worst moment ever.
“I think it’s nice gesture from him. I really appreciate that. [He told me to] just keep my head high and be proud of myself. I did well yesterday. Nice stuff.”
Lowly Lawson
Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images
Being across the Red Bull garage from Max Verstappen is a pressured place to be in F1 and Liam Lawson is the latest to try and match the flying Dutchman.
Having been preferred over Yuki Tsunoda to be promoted from Racing Bulls for 2025, Lawson is arguably the furthest away from a rookie having already competed in 11 grand prix before this season.
The New Zealander, though, found his first weekend in the senior Red Bull team to be a difficult one as he started from the pitlane following changes to his rear wing, having only qualified down in 18th.
It was a calculated risk that did not pay off as Lawson found himself running at the back of the field with the Haas duo while Verstappen competed at the business end against the McLarens.
A poor race was summed up with a late crash into the barriers as the rain returned.
“We wanted to take a risk so that was a shared gamble together, but I was just apologising for putting the car on the wall,” Lawson said.
“We were hoping for a majority-wet race and it basically dried up more than we thought, and we struggled a lot with the fronts in the first stint, just overheating.”
Asked what positives he would take from the day, Lawson replied: “Not much honestly, I’m just looking forward to going to China and resetting.”
In this article
Mark Mann-Bryans
Formula 1
Liam Lawson
Jack Doohan
Isack Hadjar
Oliver Bearman
Gabriel Bortoleto
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
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Despite the majority having previous Formula 1 experience, history will reflect that six rookies started the 2025 season at the Australian Grand Prix – and it was a chastening experience for all but one of them.
While the changeable conditions saw four crash out, plus one endured a tough weekend and finished last, Andrea Kimi Antonelli gave a glimpse of his huge potential by taking fifth place for Mercedes.
Autosport looked at how the sextet fared around Albert Park on what was a memorable start to the campaign.
High-five for Antonelli
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Whether you see Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton’s direct replacement or not, he stood out head and shoulders above the other five rookies with a fine performance.
Starting down in 16th, the 18-year-old showed maturity to move up through the pack, making notable overtakes – including twice passing Nico Hulkenberg in near-carbon copy moves having let the experienced Sauber man back through after a spin.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff called the drive “mega” as Antonelli crossed the line fourth but was ultimately dropped to fifth following a five-second penalty for an unsafe pitstop release into the path of Hulkenberg.
“I think today we got all the possible worst conditions for a first race,” he said. “We got wet, slicks on damp, slicks on wet, and then back to wet. So definitely a really, really eventful race but I’m really happy how it was managed from my side and from the team.
“Of course, I did a couple of mistakes, especially the spin, but the conditions were super, super tricky. Also those white lines were a killer.
“The team really helped me throughout the whole race and made all the right calls and definitely cannot complain about today.”
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Wolff gave a glowing review of Antonelli’s debut display: “He just reeled them in one by one, showed the pace when he had no traffic, and then eventually ended up P4 on the road and P5 from a result, and that’s really impressive.
“Even very good drivers spun or hit the wall and it’s easier to not finish than to finish, and he kept his cool and it was just very impressive to see and it shows that he has a good future as long as the trajectory keeps being like it is.”
Ollie has to grin and bear it
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
For Oliver Bearman, it could be seen as a positive that the 19-year-old finished the race for Haas, given he had crashed out in free practice one and three – sitting out the second session due to the damage to his car.
He also struggled in wet weather as a stand-in for Haas at last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix but brought the car home in Melbourne, even if he was last of the runners to take the chequered flag.
Starting from the pitlane, Bearman was pleased with his performance although he conceded Haas will need to find improvements moving forward.
“It’s an achievement just to finish a race like this because they’re incredibly difficult,” said the British racer.
“Of course, I don’t want to dwell on the past. I want to get rid of it and move on to the next one. I’m not pleased with my mistakes but to finish the race in a good way on my side gives me confidence going to China.
“This inter tyre is very tough when it starts to rain again and I was happy with my performance and execution, even if as a team we’re still missing pace.
“[It is] incredibly, incredibly tough to drive the car in these conditions. It’s the toughest you’ll find and even if in Brazil I was fighting for the points and now I’m fighting to really catch or stay on the pack, it’s a different type of race compared to the one I was in in Brazil.
“But same push and drive and I’m glad that I’ve learned from the mistakes I made in Brazil and had a relatively error-free race.”
A-Borted start
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
Gabriel Bortoleto outqualified team-mate Hulkenberg, not bad for a man starting his first F1 race to a wizened campaigner of 228 grand prix.
The Brazilian has been batting away questions surrounding remarks from Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who labelled the 20-year-old a “B” grade driver.
He ultimately crashed out in the latter stages in Australia but had looked in good shape, all things considered, until that point – although he was hit with a five-second penalty for an unsafe release.
“Obviously not an easy start. I would say it was a good weekend overall for all the learning we got there,” said the back-to-back F3 and F2 champion.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t finish as we expected. Luckily for the team, Nico scored some good points and I’m very happy for them. I’m sorry for my mistake there. I tried to recover a bit what we lost in the safety car and I’m looking forward to China now.
“We take some positives from this weekend. We learn from the negatives and heads up. It’s just the beginning of a long season.
“I was very close to Nico the whole race in inters. Then we went to pit and then we double-stacked. I lost a lot of time there with the safety car as well, with the unsafe release.”
Aussie curse strikes Doohan
Jack Doohan, Alpine crash
Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images
Ask most people in the F1 paddock and they will tell you that Jack Doohan was already under pressure before a wheel had been turned this season.
Having raced for Alpine in the Abu Dhabi GP at the end of 2024, the Australian came into this year with speculation he was already driving for his seat after Franco Colapinto joined the team as a reserve driver.
Crashing out of his home race on the opening lap will do little to silence those rumours but the 22-year-old was determined to take positives away from a tough weekend.
“In this sport, things happen very quickly, as we’ve just seen, and the next round is already almost upon us,” he said, already turning an eye to the Chinese Grand Prix next weekend.
“So it was an unfortunate way [to go out], but a lesson is learned. I’ve digested it. There’s a lot of positives that we have to take away from this weekend and for me, they outweigh this negative and I’m looking forward to bouncing back for next weekend.
“It seemed I lost it on the third to fourth gear upshift. As soon as I went into fourth, I lost the car.
“I think maybe a combination of the white line but it seems that we had a spike in RPM when I’ve upshifted to fourth so we’re just double-checking to make sure that everything’s behaving itself and maybe a little bit less right foot, a little bit more left, and it won’t happen again.
“So some things that I’m going to need to understand because, for me, that wasn’t out of the normal, but a constant learning process. Unfortunately, this one has big consequences.
“But I’ve definitely learned, and I’m going to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”
Hamilton hugs for Hadjar
Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team, Anthony Hamilton
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
For Isack Hadjar, qualifying 11th for his debut race would have been seen as a fine start to life at Racing Bulls.
However, he did not even make the start of the race as the tricky track surface caught him out on the formation lap when a spin ended with the Frenchman breaking his rear wing in the wall.
Visibly upset, the 20-year-old was consoled on his return to the paddock by Anthony Hamilton, father of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
“I’m just embarrassed and sorry for the team,” Hadjar said, his accident having caused an aborted start to the 2025 season.
“I overdid it, I just over-slipped the rears and once I lost the car, I tried to save it but I was just a passenger it just snapped so fast and I didn’t expect it.
“I’m just mad that these mistakes can happen. Breaking the car so early in the season really breaks my heart. I’m really sorry for the team. I’m missing out on more experience. My first grand prix, missing out on a wet track.”
Asked about Anthony Hamilton’s input, he added: “It means a lot, knowing that he knew where I was, how bad I felt, to go and see me in the worst moment ever.
“I think it’s nice gesture from him. I really appreciate that. [He told me to] just keep my head high and be proud of myself. I did well yesterday. Nice stuff.”
Lowly Lawson
Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images
Being across the Red Bull garage from Max Verstappen is a pressured place to be in F1 and Liam Lawson is the latest to try and match the flying Dutchman.
Having been preferred over Yuki Tsunoda to be promoted from Racing Bulls for 2025, Lawson is arguably the furthest away from a rookie having already competed in 11 grand prix before this season.
The New Zealander, though, found his first weekend in the senior Red Bull team to be a difficult one as he started from the pitlane following changes to his rear wing having only qualified down in 18th.
It was a calculated risk that did not pay off as Lawson found himself running at the back of the field with the Haas duo while Verstappen competed at the business end against the McLarens.
A poor race was summed up with a late crash into the barriers as the rain returned.
“We wanted to take a risk so that was a shared gamble together, but I was just apologising for putting the car on the wall,” Lawson said.
“We were hoping for a majority wet race and it basically dried up more than we thought and we struggled a lot with the fronts in the first stint, just overheating.”
Asked what positives he would take from the day, Lawson replied: “Not much honestly, I’m just looking forward to going to China and resetting.”
In this article
Mark Mann-Bryans
Formula 1
Jack Doohan
Liam Lawson
Isack Hadjar
Oliver Bearman
Gabriel Bortoleto
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
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Which Formula 1 driver made the most of the Australian Grand Prix weekend?
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Driver performance summary
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Cast your vote below and explain why you chose the driver you picked in the comments.
Who was the best driver of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix weekend?
No opinion (0%)
Gabriel Bortoleto (1%)
Nico Hulkenberg (6%)
Carlos Sainz Jnr (0%)
Alexander Albon (10%)
Yuki Tsunoda (1%)
Isack Hadjar (4%)
Oliver Bearman (0%)
Esteban Ocon (0%)
Pierre Gasly (0%)
Jack Doohan (1%)
Fernando Alonso (0%)
Lance Stroll (1%)
George Russell (2%)
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (19%)
Liam Lawson (0%)
Max Verstappen (8%)
Lewis Hamilton (1%)
Charles Leclerc (0%)
Oscar Piastri (2%)
Lando Norris (42%)
Total Voters: 83
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