RACE DAY - TIME TO PLAY
"I don’t mind if it is dry or wet, but I do think it will be a lot nicer for the fans if it is good weather for them. I will just do my best and see how we go."
These words from Max Verstappen set the scene for a potentially classic Australian Grand Prix.
McLaren dominated through qualifying but Red Bull were the real stars after a miserable first day at Albert Park. They injected all the speed that was needed into Verstappen's car, even if they could do little to help Liam Lawson.
The qualifying times were the closest on record at Albert Park and point to a great race – wet or dry. So, what do we know?
Will it rain?
You can count on one hand how often it has rained at the AGP in the 29-year history of the race. But, in 2025, a wet race is predicted.
It will add an extra spicy element but, with the first 13 cars separated by less than one second in qualifying, for once it would be fair to say the AGP does not need a helping hand. Still, is Melbourne . . .
Big numbers, giant crowd
Saturday’s attendance of 136,347 was a record. The work put into to the event by the AGP Corporation is reaping huge rewards with a myriad of upgrades all adding to race goers' overall experience.
Moving the Supercars 'garages' – tents – to the outside of pit straight, complete with a separate podium – has worked very, very well.
The audience
Victorians love big sporting events. They even pack the MCG for international soccer matches and deliver the ARL bigger crowds than just about anywhere else. Then there is AFL. Two matches in the evening following activities at Albert Park delivered crowds of over 80,000 each day.
But the crowd at the AGP is evolving. In 1996 there was a massive ‘first off’ enthusiasm, despite greenie protesters from the Save Albert Park group, but as most once-a-year sports events suffer from stagnation or decline, there were years at the AGP where you could pick up a grandstand or corporate ticket just weeks out.
Not now. It's a sell-out, with not a ticket to be had in 2024 and 2025. And the crowd is also evolving.
It's younger. Much younger. Is it the Drive to Survive effect, or just the global F1 momentum. And females. Groups of young women, enjoying the unique atmosphere, whilst catching a glimpse of drivers on the famed Melbourne Walk. This recipe is working and the race will only get bigger.
The Aussie Connection
Does it help to have Australian drivers compete in F1? Damn right it does. Even Mark Webber and the ultra-popular Daniel Ricciardo never had the crowd support of Melbourne’s own Oscar Piastri.
You could almost hear the crowd around the track cheering every time the #81 McLaren took to the circuit. Piastri has been line-ball with his team mate Lando Norris and a front-row lockout promises to send the crowd wild.
Jack Doohan has also won a lot of fans. A gauge of this was seeing fans wandering around with Alpine shirts and Caps. Not something often seen at Albert Park.
The Rookies
So much has been written and broadcast about the six rookies on the grid in 2025, led by Kiwi Liam Lawson in the second Red Bull and Mercedes young gun Kimi Antonelli. Of all six first-year drivers, they were expected to lead the way but a horror qualifying for both sees them languishing at the back of the field all with a tale of woe to discuss with their respective engineers.
Isack Hadjar, driving the second Racing Bull car has emerged in just about every session as the leading rookie, just missed a run in final qualifying, and starts from #11.
Moving the Supercars
There was a lot of argument and frustration when the Supercars were punted from their garages fronting the Pit Lane. Lots of sabre rattling and idle threats but the AGP’s solution has been a winner.
A vast area behind the main grandstand houses the Supercars teams, Porsche Carrera Cup and Historic cars. Putting them all in one long line with easy track access – a bit more difficult for the crews pushing trolleys across the track – has worked well.
The area is laced with food trucks, bars and displays, enabling the Australian categories to be in one precinct rather than spread all around the infield area.
The crowds in this area have been huge every day and it gives grandstand and general admission ticket holders a centralised area of activity with easy access to the St. Kilda end of the track. Top Marks.
Supercars turn it on
Mark Larkham is an astute commentator and student of motorsport. Talking to him about the latest in a myriad of formats concocted by Supercars and the AGP had concocted over the years was enlightening. Not like the year there were Holdens on one side of the grid and Fords on the other.
The Gen 3 cars turned it on in 2024 with a simple format which has been replicated in 2025 with four races – three over 100 kilometres and the final hit-out today at 75.
They were sprint races with no stops and, as Larko says, "fill them up with fuel, whack some good tyres on them and let them race".
They have set the scene for the AGP with impressive racing and the right mix of aggression for the once-a-year F1 fans at Albert Park.