#F1 - LATEST F1 NEWS | Liam Lawson, George Russell, Valtteri Bottas, Eddie Jordan, and more: The Inside Line

26 March 2025

Latest news updates, F1 2025 - our rolling coverage.

• Pressure mounting on Lawson
• Russell says McLaren beatable
• Bottas backs Hamilton rise
• Icon Eddie Jordan dies
• Horner defends colleague Marko
• Stroll not throwing toys
• McLaren pushing development
• Bangkok momentum building
• Red Bull rocks Curitiba

Watch the video, and tell us what you think in the comments…

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#F1 #ChineseGP - How McLaren won, and Ferrari lost - F1 Chinese GP Sunday Analysis: Austosport

23 March 2025

McLaren have taken their 50th one-two finish in Formula 1 at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, with George Russell rounding out the rostrum for Mercedes.

The Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were both disqualified after technical infringements. Alex Kalinauckas and Ronald Vording break down an interesting race, as well as discuss the potential future of Formula 1.

#F1 - 2025 Australian Grand Prix - Sunday "Strong Sunday nets P3 and P4 in chaotic season opener" Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

 

Press Information 16 March 2025

 
F1: Session Report
 
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Sunday

 
Strong Sunday nets P3 and P4 in chaotic season opener

• George Russell finished third and Kimi Antonelli fourth in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
• The warm and sunny weather of the previous days gave way to rain and colder ambient temperatures on Sunday.
• The race got underway from a traditional standing start, but with the field all opting to be on the Intermediate tyre given the conditions.
• George, lining up P4, held position early on whilst Kimi, out of position in P16 having suffered floor damage in Qualifying, began methodically working his way through the field.
• With light drizzle falling in short bursts, the Intermediate remained the tyre of choice until a mid-race Safety Car offered the opportunity to switch to a dry tyre without losing position.
• Both George and Kimi switched to the Hard compound, and it looked like they would hold station with George in P4 and Kimi now inside the top-10 until a rain cell developed over the sea near the circuit.
• With just over 10 laps remaining, that rain arrived and a downpour, the heaviest of the Grand Prix, forced teams to adjust strategy.
• The team judged the crossover well and pitted George and Kimi for the Intermediate tyre on lap 44.
• That enabled them to cycle through to P3 and P5 respectively; Kimi then dispatched the Williams of Alex Albon for P4 in the closing stages.
• A five-second time penalty for an unsafe release dropped him back to P5 but that was subsequently rescinded post-race, capping an impressive and mature debut for the rookie 18-year-old.
• The Italian becomes the second-youngest points scorer in F1 history, and the youngest to score points on his debut.
• George meanwhile secured the first trophy of the season for the team, claiming his 16th top three finish in his F1 career.
• The team now moves on to Shanghai and the Chinese Grand Prix in seven days' time.
• Imagery of the day is available on our media site. All imagery is rights-free for editorial use.

Driver	Grid	Result	Fastest Lap
George Russell	P4	P3	1:25.065
Kimi Antonelli	P16	P4	1:24.901

Strategy	Start	Stop 1	Stop 2
No.63	Intermediate	Hard (L34)	Intermediate (L44)
No.12	Intermediate	Hard (L33)	Intermediate (L44)

George Russell
That was not an easy race for anyone, so I'm pleased to bring it home in P3, taking our first podium finish of the new season. Keeping it on the road was a challenge at times, particularly in the changeable conditions. There were moments when the rain became slightly heavier whilst running on worn Intermediates, and then near the end the downpour arrived when we were on slicks. The team did a great job operationally today and we definitely maximised the result. The pace of the car was enough for us to fight for the podium, but we know we've got to find more speed if we want to challenge McLaren in normal conditions.
 
Kimi did an amazing job for his first race. To come through from P16 to P4 at any time is impressive. To do it on his Grand Prix debut is therefore fantastic. He deserved that result after yesterday where he was unlucky to suffer floor damage in Qualifying. It's a positive start to the season for the whole team and we're excited to move on to Shanghai and see what we can do at next weekend's Chinese Grand Prix.
 
Kimi Antonelli
That was an incredibly eventful race! The conditions were super tricky out there. We had so many different conditions that we had to cope with today, but I think we did a good job as a team. I was happy with how we managed everything from start to finish and to come home P4, having started P16, is really positive. I definitely can't complain about how my debut race in F1 has gone. It was also great to see George up on the podium for the team. Whilst we didn't have the pace to challenge the McLarens, it's always good to pick up silverware.
 
The whole weekend has been a good learning experience. Being knocked out in Q1 after suffering floor damage yesterday was obviously disappointing. To bounce back today though, and experience so much in one race, is really good for my development as an F1 driver. We've had a strong first weekend and I'm looking forward to building on that in China next week.
 
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO
Both drivers did a great job today in very challenging conditions. George drove a superb and controlled race to finish on the podium, whilst Kimi showed a great deal of maturity, in addition to the speed we know he has, to fight through from P16 to P4. The team executed the race well and operationally performed strongly. We saw many other drivers fail to make it to the flag, and other teams unable to take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves, so we can be pleased with our Sunday.
 
The McLarens were incredibly quick today. We know we have to find more performance to be able to challenge them in normal conditions. We have clearly taken a step forward over the winter though and we can be encouraged by that. Both drivers have been working well together, the car is responding to their inputs, and it's a solid platform to build on. We look forward to doing that in China next weekend.
 
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
We can be pleased with the start we made to the new season today. The conditions were difficult out there for both the drivers and the team operationally. They handled everything the race could throw at them calmly and efficiently though. We had many different conditions out there, and several challenging decision points, but we made the right choices at the right time. That is what helped us achieve a strong result today.
 
George drove a considered race and maximised the result possible. We didn't have the pace to challenge the McLarens at the front, so he focused on conserving his Intermediate tyres in the first half of the race. He handled the falling rain on the dry tyres well and brought the car home in the closing stages to secure our first podium of the season. We are also delighted with how Kimi performed on his debut. He was unfortunate in Qualifying yesterday but didn't let that deter him. It was an accomplished fightback, cutting through the field in the early stages, and then keeping the car on track when others were unable to do so as the rain fell. P4 is a great return for him.
 

We now head to China where we continue to build our knowledge of the W16, and our relative performance compared to our competitors. It is a very different type of circuit to Melbourne so will provide useful learnings. We will be looking for another strong weekend and to build on this positive first race of 2025.

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#F1 - 2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday "First Qualifying session of the year completed in Melbourne" Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

 

			Press Information 15 March 2025   F1: Session Report   2025 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday George Russell will line up fourth for tomorrow's season-opening Australian Grand Prix with Kimi Antonelli P16 after suffering floor damage during Q1. After evaluating yesterday's running, the team made several overnight changes which yielded improvements on single lap performance. Having cycled through two new sets of the Soft compound, George ended the final hour of practice P2 with Kimi P5. Whilst hotter ambient temperatures arrived for Qualifying, cloud cover kept track temperatures in the low 40°Cs, similar to earlier sessions. The team opted to run the Medium compound initially in Q1; whilst George found gains on his second lap, Kimi aborted and moved on to the Soft compound. Unfortunately, a kerb strike at turn six on his first push lap on that tyre caused sizeable damage to the bib area of the floor and significantly impacted performance. Despite that, a valiant effort from the young Italian saw him improve on his second push lap but just miss out on advancing out of Q1 by just 0.09s. George meanwhile progressed through to Q3 and sat P2, less than one tenth from pole after his first run. On his final effort, he was unable to make a significant improvement though and eventually qualified P4. Rain is forecast for tomorrow's race with the season set to get underway with 58 laps around Albert Park. Driver FP3 Q1 Q2 Q3 George Russell P2 9 Laps 1:15.971 P2 Medium, Soft 6 Laps 1:15.798 P4 Soft, Soft 6 Laps 1:15.546 P4 Soft, Soft Kimi Antonelli P5 9 Laps 1:16.525 P16 Medium, Soft George Russell I'm very happy with how today went. We struggled in the hotter conditions last year, and that was true yesterday. That was a very useful day of learning for us; we went away overnight, and the team worked hard to try and understand why we were lacking on the Soft tyre compared to the Medium and Hard compounds. We found some areas of improvement that were beneficial, and we can hopefully continue pushing in this direction.   Whilst we are still a few tenths behind the McLarens, we're starting P4 for the first race of the season, and that is encouraging. It could have potentially been a little better too as Q3 was tricky for us. I lost three tenths in the last couple of corners on my first push lap and didn't improve significantly on my final effort.   Finally, whilst Kimi was unfortunate to be knocked out in Q1, he has shown great signs of speed this weekend and he'll soon be right up there. Tomorrow is a new day and, with the weather forecast showing rain, it's going to be all to play for. Hopefully, we can be in the mix.   Kimi Antonelli That was an unfortunate Qualifying session to start the season. As I came through turn six on my first push lap on the Soft tyre, there was some gravel on track and I ran slightly wide. It was not enough to really impact my lap time, but the car hit the exit kerb harder than I expected and I suffered some significant floor damage. I could feel the car bottoming on the straight and costing me a lot of performance. Without the damage, I am sure it would have been a very different story for us.   Starting P16 is of course not ideal. That is particularly true when you look at our pace in FP3 as I think we could have been challenging near the front of the grid. It is what it is though and now we look ahead to tomorrow. The forecast is for rain and that will hopefully present us with some opportunities. I'm looking forward to it and getting my first F1 race under my belt.   Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO We were in the mix today and that was encouraging. We showed improved speed in FP3 having made some changes overnight. Whilst we looked like we were in the fight for pole position at moments in Qualifying, the McLarens were very impressive; I think it's fair to say that they had a couple of tenths advantage over us on the optimal lap. Overall, it is a good start to the new season with the W16. It all looks close at the front, and we will see what we can do tomorrow.   Kimi was very unfortunate to suffer floor damage having run over the exit kerb at turn six. He didn't run very wide yet suffered a big hit on the underside of the car and that caused him to lose a significant amount of performance. He put in a strong effort to try and hustle the car through to Q2, but it wasn't quite enough. It is all beneficial for his learning though and he will now have an exciting race trying to come through the pack tomorrow.   Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director We had a solid start to the day in FP3. We looked to have made improvements to the car overnight and the drivers were happy with the overall balance. It looked like we could be in the mix at the front come Qualifying, although the pack at the front was very tight.   Whilst that did prove to be the case, we were slightly unfortunate not to get the perfect laps together when it mattered in Qualifying. George's session ran to plan, as he progressed through to Q3. His first effort in the final segment put him P2, but he dropped back slightly in the final reckon to P4. With tomorrow's forecast, there is still plenty of opportunity for him to move forward though and fight for the podium.   Kimi was more unfortunate having run over the exit kerb at turn six. That caused floor damage that impacted his performance significantly, both on the straights and in the corners. He did his very best to get the car through to Q2 but, even if he had been able to do so, it's unlikely that we would have been able to make the necessary repairs to get him back out there. We can be encouraged by his progress through the weekend though, and the pace he has shown on both the single lap and the long run. Whilst he's starting out of position, the wet weather may afford him the chance to make good progress up the field. Preview Friday Saturday Sunday webmaster       John Nichols      @itcracing      @Linkedin

#F1 - 2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday "First Friday of the season completed in Melbourne": Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

 

Press Information 14 March 2025

 
F1: Session Report
 
2025 Australian Grand Prix - Friday

 
First Friday of the season completed in Melbourne

• The team began the 2025 season on Friday in Melbourne with our new line-up of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli taking to the circuit.
• The team evaluated all three compounds across the two sessions, although we were an outlier in being the sole team to run the Hard compound in FP2.
• That made the evaluation of relative performance compared to our competitors more challenging across both the single lap and the long runs.
• George ended the day the quickest of our two drivers, with rookie Kimi conducting himself well and gaining valuable data and experience over the course of the day.
• The team will now work hard overnight and in the simulator back at Brackley to evaluate changes ahead of Saturday.
• Tomorrow sees the first Qualifying session of the year take place, with significantly warmer conditions expected and a likely ambient temperature over 30°C.

• Driver	FP1				FP2
  George Russell	26 Laps	1:17.716	P7	Medium, Soft, Medium	30 Laps	1:17.282	P10	Hard, Soft, Hard
  Kimi Antonelli	25 Laps	1:18.390	P14	Medium, Soft, Medium	31 Laps	1:17.534	P16	Hard, Soft, Hard

George Russell
It was an interesting first day of the season. We looked particularly quick on the Hard and Medium compounds, and the overall balance of the car felt strong. On the Soft tyre, we didn't improve as much as you might expect. That is something we will evaluate overnight but, with the track temperature over 40°C today, that may have played a part. It is encouraging that there is inherent pace in the car though, as we've seen on the C3 and C4 compounds. Our focus is now unlocking that pace across all three tyre compounds and hopefully we can do that tomorrow.
 
It felt good to be back out on track here; the fans are always incredible in Melbourne and it's a fun circuit to drive. I had a couple of moments out there but was able to keep it out the wall. I am confident that we can find the improvements we are looking for overnight and have a smoother day on Saturday.
 
Kimi Antonelli
It was a positive first day of the season. Overall, I was pleased with how everything went. I'm getting more and more confident with each lap and continue to build my learning. The long run in FP2 was good and gives us a strong platform for the rest of the weekend. We've got some work to do on the single lap to find a bit more performance; that is mainly linked to getting the tyres in the right window and something we will focus on improving overnight. We've got plenty of data to work with to do that ahead of Saturday.
 
It is slightly too early to make any predictions on our relative performance. We don't know what the other teams are doing, and we were offset on tyre strategy today. The car was feeling good though and we will see what we can do in Qualifying tomorrow.
 
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
Today was a solid start to the new season. We were able to run cleanly in both sessions and gather good data across all compounds. Having come from a surprisingly cold three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain, it was useful to continue building our knowledge of the W16 on a different type of circuit and in warmer conditions.
 
The car was behaving well, particularly on the long run and the harder C3 and C4 compounds. Looking at the headline times, we've got some work to do on improving our single lap performance on the Soft compound ahead of Qualifying. We've already got some areas of focus though and are confident we can take steps to do that overnight.
 
As was expected ahead of the weekend, it looks close between several teams at the front. We were slightly offset with our tyre choice in FP2 so it's hard to predict the relative order. What we can say though is that even small improvements will likely make a big difference. We will be working hard this evening, and in conjunction with the teams back at Brackley and Brixworth, to do this.

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webmaster       John Nichols      @itcracing      @Linkedin

#F1 #AustralianGP #MercedesBenzF1 - 2025 Australian Grand Prix - Preview: Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

 

			Press Information 10 March 2025   F1: Race Preview   2025 Australian Grand Prix - Preview   Opening race of the 2025 F1 season, the 75th anniversary of the sport's maiden campaign, takes place at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, Australia. Toto talks Australia Fact File: Australian Grand Prix Stat Sheet: Australian Grand Prix As we prepare for the latest steps in our motorsport history in 2025, we recognise once again that every action we take and decision we make on track is done as one. The only way to achieve our goals is as a team.   Our 2025 brand film 'Every Dreams Needs a Team' is attest to that.   Click here to watch     Toto Talks Australia   We will write the opening lines of our next chapter at the Australian Grand Prix. It's an exciting time as we build upon the incredible legacy of the Mercedes brand in motorsport. We will be striving to set new benchmarks and fulfil new dreams in the years ahead. That will take every single one of us: from the drivers to the mechanics, engineers, everyone at Brackley and Brixworth and, of course, our fans.   That journey is the inspiration for our season launch film. It is a celebration of everything that makes Mercedes what it is: Innovation; Pushing the boundaries; The pioneering spirit of our founders. The same DNA that drives us forward today. With George and Kimi, two homegrown talents from our junior programme graduates, we have a strong driver line-up that combines experience, youth, and raw speed. It is an exciting duo that will lead us into our next era.   As a team, we had an uphill challenge over the winter. Our competitors finished 2024 strongly and we know that Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren in particular, should have a performance advantage over us initially. We can be pleased with the work we have done in the off-season, and the test in Bahrain. Both drivers commented favourably on the W16 after the three days, and we seem to have made improvements. Of course, the only thing that matters is how we measure up against the stopwatch relative to our competitors. We will certainly begin to get a clearer picture on that this weekend.   Australia is always a great place for a race. The circuit is challenging for the drivers and a real test for the car. The fans are always out in force and Melbourne is a fantastic venue to kick off the new season. I remember my first race with the team there in 2013; we held a photoshoot with our drivers on St Kilda Beach and there was a palpable sense of renewed energy. There is also always a start of term feel in the paddock and it therefore feels like an appropriate location to launch our next chapter. As George says at the end of the film: 'This is just the beginning.' And we are excited for what lies ahead.     Fact File: Australian Grand Prix The Albert Park Circuit, modified prior to 2023 and thus shortened to 5.278 km, is a temporary track partially run on public roads. As part of the modifications, new tarmac was laid. Melbourne has the shortest pit lane on the calendar at just 281 metres. Cars therefore spend only about 17 seconds at pit lane speed. A lap of Albert Park sees a driver make just 35 gear changes. This is the second-lowest total on the 2025 calendar after Monza. 71% of the lap time is spent at full throttle - also the second highest after Monza. The Turn 9-10 section of the lap will submit drivers to the highest Maximum Lateral G load of the season, at 5.1 At the exit of Turn 6/Apex of Turn 7, the kerb has been replaced by a 'negative' kerb, designed to reduce the risk of accidents there seen in previous years. The barrier on the left-hand side has also been profiled to address this. The pit exit line has been repainted back to its 2018 configuration. The exit line now reaches further into the pit straight, enabling cars more run as they leave the pits. At 281 metres, the pit lane at Albert Park is the shortest on the 2025 F1 calendar. Cars will only spend 12.6 seconds driving through the pit lane when making a stop this weekend, quicker than any other track visited this season. This will be the 23rd time that Albert Park has hosted the opening Grand Prix of an F1 season, and the first time since 2019 it has raised the curtain of the F1 season. The Australian Grand Prix was the last race of the 1995 season, and the first of the 1996 - the only time in history the same Grand Prix has taken place in consecutive races. Mercedes has four wins at Albert Park. Nico Rosberg (2014 & 2016), Lewis Hamilton (2015) and Valtteri Bottas (2019) George made his F1 debut in Melbourne in 2019 for Williams. He scored his first podium for our team at the track in 2022. This will be Kimi's first F1 race, and he will be the third youngest driver to ever start an F1 Grand Prix when the lights go out on Sunday, at 18 years, 6 months, 18 days. There is a considerable time difference between Melbourne and the team back at Brackley and Brixworth supporting remotely, adding another level of challenge to the weekend.     Stat Sheet: Australian Grand Prix   2025 Australian Grand Prix   Session   Local Time (AEDT)   Brackley (GMT)   Stuttgart (CET) Practice 1 (Friday)   12:30 - 13:30   01:30 - 02:30   02:30 - 03:30 Practice 2 (Friday)   16:00 - 17:00   05:00 - 06:00   06:00 - 07:00 Practice 3 (Saturday)   12:30 - 13:30   01:30 - 02:30   02:30 - 03:30 Qualifying (Saturday)   16:00 - 17:00   05:00 - 06:00   06:00 - 07:00 Race (Sunday)   15:00   04:00   05:00     Race Records - Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team in Australia       Starts   Wins   Podium Places   Poles   Front Row   Fastest Laps   DNF Mercedes   13   4   12   6   10   3   8 Russell   4   0   1   0   1   0   2 Antonelli   0   0   0   0   0   0   0 MB Power   2   11   34   12   23   9   33     Technical Stats - Season to Date (Pre-season Testing to Present)       Laps Completed   Distance Covered (km)   Corners Taken   Gear Changes   PETRONAS Fuel Injections Mercedes   458   2,479   6,870   33,892   18,320,000 Russell   232   1,255   3,480   17,168   9,280,000 Antonelli   226   1,223   3,390   16,724   9,040,000 MB Power   1,540   8,334   23,100   113,960   61,600,000     Mercedes-Benz in Formula One       Starts   Wins   Podium Places   Poles   Front Row   Fastest Laps   1-2 Wins   Front Row Lockouts Mercedes (All Time)   317   129   298   141   265   109   60   84 Mercedes (Since 2010)   305   120   281   133   245   100   55   80 Russell   128   3   15   5   14   8   N/A   N/A Antonelli   0   0   0   0   0   0   N/A   N/A MB Power   587   223   616   234   473   221   95   125

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webmaster       John Nichols      @itcracing      @Linkedin