McLaren enter the new Formula 1 season as the hunted for the first time in a long while. The Papayas won their first constructors’ championship since 1998 last year, and their two drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, are some of the favourites to win the drivers’ championship this season.
Their constructors’ title defence starts in the Australian Grand Prix this Sunday, and McLaren are expected to deal with stiff competition (especially since Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is still the drivers’ champion), based on their recent tests in Bahrain and first practice at Albert Park.
Speaking of the first practice session, Carlos Sainz Jr. has raised several eyebrows with his solid performance. Lewis Hamilton was underwhelming with his P12 finish, and Oliver Bearman recorded the first crash of the new campaign but came out of the car unscathed.
Learn more about the latest Australian Grand Prix 2025 updates, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Piastri eager to start well at home
Oscar Piastri recently signed a contract extension ahead of the new campaign that will keep him with McLaren until at least 2028, and the 23-year-old is eager to show everyone why he deserved to get the bag. What better way to show off than winning his home race this Sunday?
Piastri and Alpine’s Jack Doohan are the only Australian drivers on the grid following Daniel Ricciardo’s departure from RB last season. Since 1985, no Australian driver has ever finished on the podium, with Ricciardo being the closest to breaking the duck in 2014. Ricciardo finished P2 on the grid but lost his place due to a technical infringement.
Piastri has the best chance to break the duck, especially after a satisfactory performance in FP1, where he finished fourth on the grid, with teammate Norris on top at 1:17.252s. The so-called “Papaya Rules” could complicate matters for Piastri, but he said he would rather let his driving do the talking.
The young Australian is coming off a career year in 2024, where he won the Hungarian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix and finished fourth in the drivers’ championship. Piastri is bound to have another big year with the Papayas.
Sainz surprises everyone in FP1
Since he was coming from Ferrari, Carlos Sainz Jr.’s move to Williams was considered by many a downgrade. However, that didn’t look like it during the first practice session, as he finished second behind Lando Norris at only 0.149s behind. Before this, Williams caught the eye during preseason testing, as the Spaniard topped the combined timesheets after three days of running around the Bahrain International Circuit.
Williams deserve credit for giving Sainz (and Albon) a more competitive car this year. The predecessor of the FW47 was initially overweight and struggled for lap time until upgrades arrived. By the time they put in upgrades, it was too late, as Williams finished nearly at the bottom of the constructors’ championship.
Sainz’s teammate Alex Albon recently said that finishing in the top four of the constructors’ championship is the top target for Williams. However, returning to the middle of the pack is a more reasonable goal. The Grove-based outfit heads to the new campaign with a positive outlook, which hasn’t happened in quite some time.
History
Carlos Sainz Jr. won his first Australian Grand Prix last year after undergoing emergency surgery for appendicitis in Saudi Arabia two weeks prior. The former Ferrari driver joked that the surgery might have helped because he felt lighter since the procedure.
Max Verstappen won his first Australian Grand Prix in 2023 and has taken the pole position in the last two editions of the race. Charles Leclerc was the most recent Formula 1 driver to take the pole position and win the actual race at Albert Park on the same weekend (2022).
Michael Schumacher and Lex Davison are the winningest drivers in the Australian Grand Prix with four wins each. Lewis Hamilton is the winningest active driver at Albert Park with two victories (2008 and 2015).
What are the odds?
The Australian Grand Prix 2025 odds expect the Papayas to come out on top in Melbourne this weekend, priced at 1.35 compared to Ferrari’s 2.33 and Red Bull’s 2.88. Lando Norris is pegged as the favourite to win the race, as he’s installed at 1.45, while teammate Oscar Piastri is not far behind at 1.55.
Despite his surprising FP1 outing, Carlos Sainz Jr. must make up ground at 2.20. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton will vie for the third podium spot, pegged at 1.62, 1.75, and 2.07 to join Norris and Piastri.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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