The F1 2025 season has officially started, with cars hitting the track in Melbourne under glorious sunshine. Friday’s free practices showed that Ferrari will probably be very close to McLaren, that appeared to be the quickest during testing in Bahrain,

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton racing a Ferrari for the first time. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen arriving without a lot of mileage in his Red Bull.

Verstappen’s teammate last year, Sergio Pérez, has been replaced by Liam Lawson this season, with the New Zealand driver set to make his full-time F1 debut in 2025. In the drizzly conditions in Bahrain, Lawson said he was fighting “a few teething gremlins” with his car as he sought to adjust to life alongside Verstappen.