IT'S RACE WEEK: 5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix

That’s right everybody, it’s finally race week again! More than three months after last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, a new Formula 1 season is set to kick-off and there is plenty to get excited about, so here are just a few of the fresh topics ahead of the race weekend in Melbourne.

True answers on pace

Pre-season testing is always an intriguing time as we get to see all of the new cars out on the same track on the same days, but with so many unknowns relating to how teams are running those cars it can be tough to identify an accurate picture of the competitive order.

That was made even more difficult this year with the cold – and at times, wet – weather that was seen in Bahrain, creating very unusual conditions that are not representative of the temperatures that races will predominantly take place in.

Bahrain is also a track that has a very rough track surface and demands particularly strong rear-end performance, whereas Albert Park is much smoother and places different requirements on the car.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 28: Esteban Ocon of France driving the (31) Haas F1 VF-25 Ferrari on — There were plenty of unknowns still to discover following pre-season testing in Bahrain

Last year we saw form fluctuating from track-to-track thanks to the close nature of the top four teams, and it could well be the same this year. But if we look at Bahrain it was McLaren who were standing out as the team to beat, Ferrari said they had work to do, Mercedes looked to have made a step forward, and Red Bull didn’t show their potential over a race distance.

Where will they all stack up when the gloves come off and the cars show their true outright performance? We will finally find out this weekend.

Home hope for Piastri

Australian drivers have not had the best of luck at their home race over the years. Since the race became a part of the World Championship in 1985 – then in Adelaide – there has never been an Australian driver classified on the podium.

Daniel Ricciardo came closest to breaking that duck in 2014, and did get to stand on the podium before losing his second place on Red Bull debut for a technical infringement. But could the fortunes of the home favourites be about to change?

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 27: Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren looks on in the Pitlane — Oscar Piastri will be hoping to battle it out for victory in his home race

Although Ricciardo is no longer racing, Australia retains two drivers on the grid with Jack Doohan now at Alpine, but it’s Oscar Piastri who carries the home hopes.

If McLaren are as competitive as they appeared in pre-season testing, then Piastri has to be one of the favourites for victory and could well be fighting his team mate Lando Norris for the honour. But even if the competitive order is closer at a different venue in hotter conditions, McLaren would certainly expect to be in the mix for podiums.

Perhaps this is the year that a home driver finally gets to keep hold of a trophy from Melbourne.

Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but Lewis Hamilton drives for Ferrari now.

One of the biggest moves across the entire sporting world was announced in early 2024, and Hamilton finally got to begin work at Maranello in January of this year. It has been a fresh start of the seven-time World Champion, who has been loving life with his new team so far.

Lewis Hamilton's first reflections of his Ferrari testing debut

Seeing Hamilton in red has been one thing so far this year, but seeing him racing in red is going to be quite another.

Moving from Mercedes after 12 years – and remarkable success – with Toto Wolff’s team is a major undertaking and Hamilton has been doing everything he can to get up to speed as quickly as possible, in the knowledge that 2025 is likely to be an extremely competitive season. He also has one of the quickest drivers on the grid alongside him in Charles Leclerc, so he’s set for a stern test.

However competitive Ferrari end up being, Melbourne will mark the start of a new era for the most successful driver in F1 history.

New faces at eight teams

Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari is far from the only change to the driver line-up this season, with eight of the 10 teams boasting at least one new driver among their ranks.

Only McLaren – sticking with Norris and Piastri – and Aston Martin – retaining Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll – have unchanged pairings, and at the other end of the spectrum to Hamilton, there are multiple rookies among them.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 27: Jack Doohan of Australia and Alpine F1 looks on as Oliver Bearman — Jack Doohan, Oliver Bearman and Gabriel Bortoleto are three of the newest members of the F1 grid

While not technically a rookie, Liam Lawson will start his first full season in F1 at Red Bull after impressing for Racing Bulls last year, taking over as Max Verstappen’s team mate from Sergio Perez.

Although Lawson will drive for a team that finished ahead of Mercedes in the Teams’ Championship, perhaps the most high-profile rookie is Kimi Antonelli stepping up to replace Hamilton, with the 18-year-old Italian continuing a remarkable rise through the ranks.

Antonelli’s former PREMA team mate Oliver Bearman will also race full-time, joining Haas alongside Esteban Ocon, while the top two in Formula 2 last season – Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar – are also on the grid at Sauber and Racing Bulls respectively.

Doohan gets his chance with Alpine and could have a competitive car to start the year chasing points after a strong pre-season showing from the team, but they might also have competition from a formidable line-up at Williams after Carlos Sainz joined Alex Albon over the winter.

It’s a very different look to the grid compared to 12 months ago, and there are likely to be a whole range of storylines as the drivers get the first chance to race for their new teams.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 28: Liam Lawson of New Zealand and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on in — Liam Lawson has stepped up to Red Bull and will partner Max Verstappen

Not just the start of the F1 season

Speaking of some of the rookies that have stepped up from Formula 2, we’ll also get the first chance to see the next generation fighting to join the F1 grid.

Both F2 and Formula 3 will be kicking off their new seasons in Melbourne this weekend, with junior drivers from the majority of teams featuring in at least one of the two championships.

But it’s not just the drivers that are embarking on a new campaign. Both categories will also be making a big step forward from a technical point of view, with the introduction of a 100% advanced sustainable fuel from Aramco.

Since 2023, F2 and F3 have been using fuel of which 55% is sourced from second generation bio components, but this year sees the next step on that journey. Not only does it show progress towards Net Zero Carbon targets, but also provides examples of what can be possible in road-going vehicles using the same technology.

As all teams use the same engines and fuels, it has been possible to introduce the change across both grids, with tweaks to the way the engines operate. It should also see slightly lower fuel consumption across a race distance, while retaining the same performance attributes.