2025 F1 rookies faced challenges at Australian Grand Prix

The 2025 Formula 1 rookie class had a memorable start at the Australian Grand Prix. Six drivers made their debut in what turned out to be a dramatic opening weekend filled with crashes and exciting performances. Andrea Kimi Antonelli from Mercedes stood out among the rookies. He qualified 16th due to a qualifying mistake but managed to finish 4th in the race. At just 18 years old, he became the youngest driver to score points in his debut. Antonelli showed strong skills, especially when he made an impressive move to overtake Alex Albon late in the race. Liam Lawson from Red Bull faced a tough weekend. He qualified 18th and crashed out of the race, ending his day early. Lawson acknowledged his struggles, noting that the power unit issues and mistakes in qualifying hampered his performance. Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls had a promising start but spun out before even starting the race. His mistake on the formation lap led to a heartbreaking DNF. He expressed disappointment but will take the positives from his earlier strong performance in practice and qualifying. Jack Doohan of Alpine also had an unfortunate start. He qualified 14th but crashed on the first lap of the race, resulting in a DNF as well. Doohan remained optimistic, promising to learn from the incident to improve in future races. Oliver Bearman from Haas finished 14th, the last of the finishers. Although he struggled during the weekend with multiple crashes, completing the race was a relief for him. He aimed to gather data for the team and improve in the upcoming race. Gabriel Bortoleto from Sauber outqualified his more experienced teammate but crashed later in the race. He expressed regret over the incident, explaining he pushed too hard under tricky conditions. As the teams prepare for the next race in China, the rookies look forward to learning from their experiences in their first full F1 season.