2025 Australian Grand Prix race report: Winners and losers of the brutal F1 race

The 2025 Australian Grand Prix is now over, with Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and George Russell finishing on the podiums. The race was brutal for many drivers as the wet conditions played a huge impact on the track. Drivers like Isack Hadjar, Jack Doohan, Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Gabriel Bortoleto and Liam Lawson crashed out of the race. 

Some drivers like Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, Kimi Antonelli, and Nico Hulkenberg had unexpected results that went in their favour. Many teams missed their strategy and lost big race positions and a chance to be in the front row. So, let us look back at the events that happened during the race and see who are all the winners and losers of the rain-hit Australian GP.

2025 Australian Grand prix: Winners

Mercedes

The clear winner is the Mercedes AMG F1 team, as their strategists were brilliant with their cars, as were their drivers. Kimi Antonelli and George Russell were brilliant in finishing P3 and P4 at the end of the race. The two silver arrows showed calmness while many other drivers succumbed under pressure. So overall, the Australian Grand Prix was a huge success for the Brackley-based team, and they are hoping to carry the same momentum to China.

McLaren

The race winners McLaren had a great day today until Oscar Piastri slipped into the gravel and then to the grass. Lando Norris was outstanding today, as the conditions didn't put any pressure on him until a late charge from reigning world champion Max Verstappen. But Piastri’s Australian Grand Prix wasn't worse, as he too finished inside the points table and gave the team something to cheer from his side. 

Red Bull

The Austria-based team will be happy to have Max Verstappen as their driver. We saw Liam Lawson’s struggle all weekend, but Max was amazing with his race pace and kept his cool in crucial moments, though he didn't have the fastest car. The Dutchman also brought some additional points compared to his starting position. Red Bull needs to work on their race pace and should be back in 3 races. 

Williams Racing

The team that rejoices the most will be the Williams Racing team. We can't even imagine their performance this year. They are outstanding with their strategy and team coordination, even though they lost Carlos Sainz at the start. Alex Albon was brilliant with his survival strategy as the things surrounding him got loose. They are in a good position to become the best team in the midfield, and they could even become one of the top four F1 teams this season.

Aston Martin

Lance Stroll gave one of the best performances in recent times for his team. The Canadian driver held on with the strategy and managed his tyres under the wets. After losing Fernando Alonso, everyone thought it was game over for the Aston Martin team, but Ferrari’s strategic blunder opened the gates for them, and Lance entered the gates and made it big for the team. 

Kick Sauber

Nico Hulkenberg showed what experience does to a driver as his rookie teammate and F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto crashed heavily during the race. He saved the team with his brilliant driving and finished P7 after starting in the last five positions. Kick Sauber would be happy with the German performance under pressure in the wet conditions.

2025 Australian Grand prix: Losers

Ferrari

The biggest loser today was Ferrari, as their team and drivers were not in sync. Instead of listening to their drivers, Ferrari saw their rivals and decided to change the tyres from Slick to intermediates. If they had not changed to the Intermediates, they would have finished the race in 1-2 with Lewis Hamilton winning his debut race for Ferrari.

Hamilton’s call regarding changing the tyres was dismissed, and the team paid the price. He was brought into the pit lane, and his tyres were changed to the intermediates. But after that, the rain stopped, and the track started drying. Lewis Hamilton was frustrated after seeing the rain stopping.

VCARB

It was a double disaster for the Red Bull junior team. They lost Isack Hadjar early in a crash and Yuki Tsunoda with a failed strategy. VCARB made the same mistake as Ferrari by changing the tyres when Yuki ran for the podiums. After coming out of the pits, they found themselves out of the points table. The Japanese man would be frustrated after putting in all his efforts during the qualifying. 

Alpine

The French team didn't expect an early disaster with Doohan crashing into the walls under VSC. They were very hopeful with Pierre Gasly, but the Frenchman was outpaced by the two Ferrari drivers and McLaren's Oscar Piastri. The Pink team’s plan of bringing points on the opening race was a complete failure, and they will be checking their strategy once again.

Haas

They were never in the game all weekend, as their car doesn't provide any pace to their drivers, Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman. After crashing his car in the practice session, the rookie was amazing in the race as he is the only other rookie who finished the race without crashing his car, apart from Kimi Antonelli. But the team, which impressed us the most last season, was far behind this time and needs to get back on their feet as there are only four days left for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Also Read: 2025 Australian GP results: Lando Norris claims victory in dramatic rain-hit Albert Park as McLaren's Bold strategy pays off.