The most anticipated moments at the 2025 Australian GP were the fresh journeys two of the drivers embarked on. Kimi Antonelli made his F1 debut with Mercedes, stepping in for Lewis Hamilton, who in turn began his much-awaited stint with Ferrari.
Before the season opener, Ferrari was touted to be faster. However, Mercedes showed a stronger pace on race day, and Antonelli, despite starting P16, gained 12 positions to make his first outing a truly memorable one.
Hamilton, on the other hand, had a largely forgettable Australian GP. He finished P10 after a frustrating race. The most spoken-about moments from his race were his back-and-forth exchanges with race engineer Riccardo Adami. Antonelli, on the other hand, impressed everyone on his way to P4.
A stunning overtake on Williams’ Alex Albon heading into Turn 9 became the most celebrated move Antonelli made in the race. The move on the 54th lap left the F1 community in awe, especially since Hamilton had struggled to get past the Thai-British driver earlier. Fans were quick to highlight this while celebrating the Mercedes driver’s brilliance.
“Lewis couldn’t do this all race…” one user wrote on X, commenting on a video of the overtaking move posted by Mercedes.
Lewis couldn’t do this all race…
— Jaymo (@Jaymofc) March 16, 2025
Since the 18-year-old had taken Hamilton’s seat at Mercedes, comparisons were inevitable. So the seven-time world champion’s struggles against Albon became a hot topic of discussion.
“Meanwhile, Lewis was stuck behind Albon for 75% of the race. Huge upgrade for Mercedes,” another fan remarked.
To be fair to Hamilton, Antonelli’s W16 looked faster than the Ferrari SF25. And some couldn’t help but wonder if Hamilton would be already regretting leaving Mercedes.
Lewis: “Um, can I have my seat back? Please?”
— Dom Wallflower (@domwallflower) March 16, 2025
These reactions are of course exaggerated. It’s still early in the season, and Ferrari has plenty of time to turn things around. One key area both Hamilton and the team will aim to improve is their strategic decision-making, which proved chaotic in Melbourne.
Hamilton experiences Ferrari’s strategic mishaps
Since taking over as team principal in 2023, Fred Vasseur has worked hard to address Ferrari’s long-standing strategic missteps. The team’s pit-wall decisions were once a frequent source of ridicule in the paddock with the likes of Max Verstappen taking open digs.
It also often cost them crucial results and left drivers frustrated. Under Vasseur’s leadership, Ferrari had shown significant improvement over the past two seasons. However, those familiar struggles resurfaced with Hamilton behind the wheel of the SF-25 on Sunday.
Ferrari appeared indecisive. While most teams switched to wet tires as heavy rain hit Albert Park. The Maranello engineers hesitated, opting to stay on slicks. By the time they realized their mistake a lap later, it was too late — both drivers had already lost several positions.
Vasseur will be eager to eliminate these issues starting this weekend in China. If Ferrari hopes to mount a serious title challenge and end its championship drought since 2008, they cannot afford to let these mistakes recur.
