As the twenty Formula One drivers take the track for the season opener in Australia, tensions fly both on and off the track. Some drivers’ seats become vulnerable to change, while others are secured for multiple years. With the drivers completing only the third race this season in Suzuka this past weekend, let’s take a look at how the season opened and what has transpired since then.

Opening the season for the 25th time, the cars took to the track at the Australian Grand Prix. Entering into this Grand Prix, there were many unknowns for both the fans, teams, and drivers. How would the five new rookies take to their first ever Formula One race, or how would the weather impact the strategy that the teams had prepared? This race was also the home grand prix for both Oscar Piastri and Jack Doohan, though it did not end happily for either one. The race started out with a strategic conversation on the correct choice in tires. There are different types of tires in Formula One with there being three main choices: soft, medium, and hard ,and each tire serves a different purpose. However, with the weather being unpredictable, teams did not know whether to place the drivers on dry or wet tires. If the teams placed the drivers on the dry tires, but it started to rain, the drivers would have severe problems. And if they placed them on the wet, but it never dried, the tires would degrade at a much faster rate. Yet, the teams made a decision that they felt would work best for them, and the race began.

Lando Norris was able to hold onto first place, while Oscar Piastri was bumped down to third when Max Verstappen was able to pass him, moving into second. As the race continued on, many teams switched their tires, now that the track had started to dry. This proved to be an incorrect decision, as level three (heavy) rain started a downpour on the track during the last quarter of the race. This sudden turn in weather led to multiple crashes to add onto the other incidents in the beginning of the race, as well as a safety car deployment. This track saw end race crashes for Isack Hadjar, Jack Doohan, Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Liam Lawson, and Gabriele Bortoleto, which left only 14 out of the 20 cars on the grid to finish the race. But Doohan was not the only Aussie driver to race a devastating incident at his home race. Halfway through the race, Norris and Piastri in the McLaren’s, made the same mistake which led them into the gravel. Norris was able to regain his lead and continue the race, but Piastri overshot his steering and ended up on the other side of the track in the grass. Piastri did not let this stop him from completing his home race though, and he fought back from the back of the grid all the way up to 9th place earning McLaren points alongside his teammate. This race also led to a severe increase in standings for Williams Racing; a team that has been on the track for decades, but has not been a strong competitor for the championship. They were able to achieve fifth in the Constructors Championship, as Alex Albon finished 5th in the race: his highest placement since joining the team, and they have only seemed to go up from there, having multiple top ten finishes in the last few races.

Jack Doohan joined the grid alongside the four other rookie drivers for the 2025 season. However, Doohan had extra pressure weighing down on his shoulders that had been placed on him before the season had even started. The 22 year old racer debuted with Alpine, but it has not felt like they have been giving him their full support. This has something to do with one specific driver that Alpine decided to sign as a reserve driver for their team. Franco Colopinto signed to Alpine racing as their reserve driver after taking over for Logan Sargeant about halfway through last season at Williams. This has led to a lot of speculation regarding the two drivers that will hold seats in Alpine’s team. The rumors have only increased after Doohan had a very large crash during a free practice session this past weekend in Japan. He left the Drag Reduction System (DRS) open while going through a high speed turn which led to him losing control of the car and crashing into the barriers at a high speed. He was luckily uninjured and drove the car for the race on Sunday, but this incident has led to much scrutiny on him. Alpine has not directly addressed these rumors, while Doohan has said that every reserve driver wants a seat, and he is just going to focus on his driving. It is no secret throughout the paddock that Doohan has a heavy weight to bear in the upcoming races. I believe that he should be given the chance to prove himself and his skills before being taken out in favor of Colopinto.

The decision on the Red Bull Second Seat was a large discussion during the end of last season. The debate was on whether it would go to Yuki Tsunoda who has been driving for their junior team or Liam Lawson who has not raced a full season but replaced Daniel Riccardo twice. But at the end of last season, the team chose Lawson. I, like many others, did not fully agree with this decision, as I felt that Tsunoda had done much to prove himself, but I was also excited to see what Lawson would produce. It is no secret that the Red Bull car has not been performing to the standard that it used to. Even 4 time world champion Max Verstappen has been having trouble dragging the car to the podium. So it was not surprising when Liam Lawson was not delivering the best results.

Tsunoda, in the Racing Bulls junior team, was consistently placing within the top ten finishers and his season was off to a great start. However, the fans and the drivers themselves were shocked when the team made the decision to promote Tsunoda to Red Bull and Demote Lawson to Racing Bulls after only two races. Many did not agree with this decision, including Verstappen and myself, as Lawson did not have enough time to prove himself and fight against the difficulties of the car. The car has been a problem for over two years now, and the drivers are facing the consequences of it. At the Japanese Grand Prix, Tsunoda finished 12th and Lawson finished 17th, both expressing the need for improvement.

I am sure that this exciting start to the Formula One season is just the beginning and am extremely excited to watch what happens next.