Formula 1 News: Australian GP Post-Qualifying Press Conference
The top-3 qualifiers for the 2025 Australian GP Formula 1 race at Albert Park met with the media after qualifying.
2025 AUSTRALIAN GP TOP-3 DRIVERS
1 – Lando NORRIS (McLaren)
2 – Oscar PIASTRI (McLaren)
3 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)
2025 AUSTRALIAN GP QUALIFYING TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Naomi Schiff)
Q: Max, congratulations, it’s P3 this time around. Big turnaround. How are you feeling with that performance?
Max VERSTAPPEN: No, it was good. Yesterday was quite tough. So for us to be in P3 today, I take that.
Yeah. Yeah, the quali laps were very exciting. A lot of good grip around here and some fast corners, so that’s always fun in an F1 car.
Q: Well, we heard you talking a little bit about tires overheating. How much of a compromise was that for you out there today?
MV: It was quite tough in qualifying. Yeah, I don’t know how the others felt, but for me, it never felt like we nailed that. But on the other hand I think the gap was quite big to them, so it wouldn’t have mattered in terms of position.
Q: OK. Well, we hear that there’s going to be rain tomorrow. Will you be doing the rain dance or would you prefer it dry?
MV: No, for me I think it’s fine, dry or wet. Of course in the wet there are always some crazy things can happen, and especially around here it can be quite slippery. But it’s the same for everyone, right? We’ll see what happens tomorrow,
Q: Well, good luck,. enjoy it out there. Oscar, massive congratulations. It’s a front-row start and an all-McLaren front. How are you feeling having done that at home for the first time?
Oscar PIASTRI: Yeah, pretty happy. It’s obviously great to start the year on the front row – probably one position further back than I would have liked, but I think it’s a great start for the year and great to have the team on the front row. So now we reset and see what tomorrow has in store. But pretty happy with how qualifying went, just not quite enough in Q3. But it’s the start of a long season, so I’m happy with that, it’s a solid start.
Q: The margins out there have been so close. It was less than a tenth between you and Lando. But as far as details, what did it come down to? Where were the little seconds left?
OP: I think it’s probably a little bit in a couple of places. In Sector 3, I lost a little bit of time compared to the lap before from Q2, and I also locked up there and went off in Q1 of Q3, so I didn’t really want to do that twice. Maybe left it a little bit on the table, but it was pretty tricky out there. Q3 at the start looked messy, so I’m just happy to be on the front row and have a good start.
Q: OK, congratulations. Lando, massive. You are our first pole sitter of 2025. How does that feel in this moment?
Lando NORRIS: Thanks. Yeah, very good. I mean, it’s the perfect way to start the year, you know. First of all, a big congrats to the team, everyone at McLaren has one an amazing job to continue from where we were at the end of last season, to start with the 1-2. But it’s just quali, right? Let’s wait and see tomorrow. I know it’s going to be a tricky race, but today was a great start.
Q: We saw that the conditions out there were tricky, drivers going off the track, going over curbs. How hard was it to put it all together with the margins being so fine?
LN: Very. I mean, the team have done such a good job, the car is extremely quick. And when you put it together, it’s unbelievable. It’s just difficult to put it together. So really it was like a little fight between me and Oscar today, and it was a tough one. Especially after my first lap, where I went off and got track limits, then I knew the second lap… You’re in a tough position, you need to take a lot of risk, but you also need to make sure you get the lap clean and don’t make any mistakes. It’s a difficult mindset to go into the final lap, but I managed to pull it off, so I’m very happy.
Q: Tomorrow’s another day. We don’t know what the weather is going to do just yet, but how confident are you that you might be standing on the top step of the podium tomorrow?
LN: I mean, I’m never going to get ahead of myself. I’m not that kind of guy. I’m confident that the car is in a great position, but we’ve also never run in the wet. We know how quick Max is and Red Bull is in the rain, so let’s wait and see. Many opportunities for everyone, but also a lot of new things we’re going to be learning along the way. We’ll see tomorrow.
2025 AUSTRALIAN GP QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Congratulations, Lando. A great lap. Just how good was that final lap in Q3?
LN: Good enough, I guess. Tricky because of my first lap and going off track. And just with how tight it’s been, especially with Oscar. But yeah, it’s a tough one because you want to take a lot of risks, especially on this track. It’s a track where you’ve got to commit. You know what your target is, and once you turn in you’re kind of hoping for the best in a lot of cases. You want to take those risks. Obviously, I took too many on my first lap and got track limits, so I was in a difficult position knowing how much risk I wanted to take. But I put it together well, it was just a clean lap, no mistakes, and that was enough. So happy. A perfect way to start the season.
Q: And the margins are very fine. Just how confident were you coming into the session?
LN: I mean, we’ve been confident just because our expectation is… As much as we want to dominate and actually have a result like we’ve just had, it really was not necessarily our expectation to have a bit of a gap to the rest of the cars. And when I say gap, I mean when we put the lap in, we had a bit of a gap, but it’s been difficult. I think one of our struggles has been how difficult it’s been in our car just to execute those qualifying laps and put things together. That’s been something I’ve struggled with this weekend. So to have the kind of pace we had today was not unexpected, but we just weren’t going in thinking, “OK, we’re going to have two-tenths over everyone or one and a half-tenths.” We know we have a good car, mainly because I know I have a very good team around me and everyone back at McLaren and MTC has done an incredible job to keep the car going from last season and improving.
Q: Right, Lando, let’s throw it ahead to the race. If it’s dry, what’s the long-run pace like?
LN: I think it’s good. We were decent in Bahrain and I think we’re going to expect to be pretty good here. We were pretty good here last year, and that was with a much worse car. We’re going in with one target, which is to be at the top and to have two cars at the top. But conditions are going to be unexpected, so we just have to go in prepared. That’s all we can really do.
Q: If it’s wet, what’s the mindset?
LN: Win. The same. It doesn’t change.
Q: A more conservative approach? What is it like around Albert Park in the wet?
LN: It’s very tough. I mean, it’s so cool, but it’s a sketchy track because you’ve got walls close and you can’t make a lot of mistakes around here. You pay the price very quickly. It’s a street circuit, and you have a lot of these painted white lines, which may be high grip, but they’re still very slippery when you’re going at speed. We did some wet running a couple of years ago. It tests you. So excited, yes. Nervous at the same time. But we know we have a good car, and we just have to keep our heads down.
Q: Alright, very well done today. Thank you for that. Oscar, let’s come to you now. So close to your first pole in Formula One. Just how good was the lap in Q3?
OP: It was pretty good. I was happy with it. This weekend I’ve been happy with the laps we’ve been putting in and how I have been executing them apart from the first lap of Q3. But apart from that, I’ve been happy with how I’ve driven. I think the last lap, there’s nothing I’m majorly kicking myself about. The gap is very tight, obviously, and I just needed that little bit more.
Q: Lando ran wide at Turn 4 on his first lap. Can you talk us through the issues you had on yours?
OP: Yeah, I went a bit deep into Turn 11. With these tires, with the hot temperature, as soon as you slide them a little bit or get them dirty, they drop off a lot. I struggled a lot with the last sector and then went off at the second-last corner. That’s the fine line around here. I think that’s been a little bit of a struggle with our car so far—it’s been quick, but it bites at times. I’m pretty happy with the job I did, and I’ll go back and see where it could have been a little bit better.
Q: You’re echoing the thoughts of Lando over one lap. Can we get your thoughts on the race pace?
OP: Pretty happy. Yesterday felt quite good. If it’s dry, then I think we’re in a good place. If it’s wet, it’s very difficult to tell—pretty much what Lando described. There are a lot of places that can catch you out here. There are a few corners that in the dry are not corners, that are very much corners in the rain. It becomes a fair bit trickier. And then you’ve got white lines everywhere, with it obviously being a road circuit. We’re pretty confident for tomorrow.
Q: Just a quick word on the support here at Albert Park. There are a lot of OP81 T-shirts in the crowd. Are you feeding off that?
OP: Yeah, I am. I think this is the most relaxed I’ve been at my home race. The first two years, especially the first year I came here, it was an overwhelming experience. Even last year, it was still a pretty big experience. This year, I’ve been able to enjoy it more. Maybe because I’m more confident in the car under me, but I’ve really been enjoying it and enjoying the support. I feel like it’s gone up a little since last year as well. It’s amazing what happens when you start winning stuff. No, it’s great to have all the home support, and I really appreciate it.
Q: Alright, very well done. Thank you, Max. If I could come to you quickly—great job. It seems that you’ve managed to improve the car progressively over the weekend. Is that the reality?
MV: Yeah, I think so. We had a bit of a tough start. This has never really been a good track for us. So it took a bit of time to understand how we could improve the situation. We did that today. Honestly, I’m quite surprised to be sitting here after yesterday. I felt confident, I felt one with the car, but clearly, we were lacking a bit of pace. Overall, I’m happy with the laps in qualifying. I tried to really extract everything. The tires are quite sensitive around here, with all these high-speed corners, but I’m happy to be here.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit more about the improvements? Where have you made the most difference overnight?
MV: Yeah, just trying to fine-tune the balance. The car came alive a little more. Yesterday it was, in general, quite OK to drive, just too slow. Today it was a little faster. But clearly still not fast enough. Still, to be ahead of Ferrari and Mercedes here is good for us.
Q: Can we throw it forward to the race now? What’s the long-run pace of the car like?
MV: I don’t expect miracles, but I think it’s OK. Not on the same level, but I’ll just do my best and see what happens tomorrow.
Q: Not on the same level as the guys next to you?
MV: Yeah, exactly.
2025 AUSTRALIAN GP QUALIFYING QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Q: (Edd Straw – The Race) A question for Lando and Oscar. You’ve both referred to the fact that although the car’s quick, it can be tricky at times when you’re on those fast laps. Can you elaborate a little on what it’s doing and in what conditions it’s maybe susceptible? Is this indicative of a car that’s a little more peaky than you would like, or is it where you need it to be for it to be usable?
LN: I mean, after today, you’d say it’s usable, but it has been our struggle so far this… I can’t say season – the first test and here. I think it’s what happens when you’re getting to that boundary. It’s another year of the same regulations, and you’re trying to improve everything. You’ve got to weigh it up—do you want a bit more load, or do you want to make it more drivable? It’s a difficult balance to get, especially at this kind of point, when there’s a lot of competition and you’re trying to find everything possible. There’s no easy gains. There’s always a pro and a con to everything. It might be that it’s a bit more in that direction, but we’ve at least been able to improve the car a good chunk. I’d say it’s quicker, maybe a little tricky to drive, but then it’s down to us. It’s my job to be under that limit and find the correct limits without going over them. You can’t always have a perfect car. Good drivers are the ones who can drive a difficult car and deal with whatever they get given. Of course, you always prefer a quick one, but this is the price we pay for pushing those boundaries that we’re doing as McLaren.
OP: Yeah, very much the same. This weekend it’s been difficult at points, but nothing unmanageable or unfixable. It looked pretty tricky out there for everybody. I think as we’re pushing the limits of these tires, I think for a while now they’ve been pretty sensitive to how much load all the cars are putting through them. It’s not as easy as you’d like, but the underlying pace is definitely there, as shown.
Q: (Jawad Yaqub – The Roar) We haven’t had a wet race here since 2010, and what a race that was. Question to all three of you—how much of an unknown is it going into tomorrow without much recent representative running in wet conditions here?
LN: I don’t know. For me, we just have to wait and see. Also, it’s a new car, so there are a lot of unknowns and question marks about how it will perform. It’s not always as simple as just putting on wets and having a crack. We’ll wait and see. Of course, it’s always more unknown, more possibilities for everyone. A bit of our pace potentially goes out of the window because it’s harder to extract and show the difference of pace we had today. But we’re in the best position to do that if we can. I know the chances of rain have been going down, but normally wet races and inter races are pretty exciting, especially for you guys. I’m excited to see what we can do, but there are a lot of question marks and not too many answers for the time being.
OP: Yeah, more or less the same thing. We had a few wet laps here a couple of years ago, so we’ve all done some running on this new layout. But the cars have moved on a lot since then. I can’t even remember if the tires are the same anymore. Might be. So there are a lot of unknowns for tomorrow. And with this being round one, like Lando said, there are still some question marks about whether some of the characteristics we had in the past are still the same when it rains.
MV: Yeah, it’ll be slippery in the wet! So you have to take that into consideration.
Q: (Wojciech Paprota – Rally and Race) A question for Oscar—two questions. First, how much of a disappointment do you feel with the position you have, even though it’s your best position so far? And on a scale from zero to ten, how much pressure do you feel ahead of the race?
OP: I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed because I feel like I did a job I’m happy with. If I was sitting here thinking, “I had another two-tenths in hand, and I blew it,” then I’d be pretty upset. But I feel like I’ve executed well this weekend. That’s all I can ask of myself. There are always things to improve and do better, and I’ll try to look at those, but ultimately, I’m happy with how I’ve driven this weekend. In terms of pressure, honestly, I said in the lead-up that I was using it as support and not pressure, and that’s genuinely been the case. Of course, you want to start the season well and do well at home, those things are obvious, but I think I’ve done a good job of being strong and not letting that get in my head. I’m happy with how I’ve approached the weekend, how I’ve driven, and the support has been really special. The expectation is very minor compared to the support.
Q: (Oliver van Bronswijk – The Roar) Question for Oscar. This is McLaren’s first front-row lockout since 2012. You’ve touched on how comfortable and relaxed you’re feeling in the car. Just how exciting is the opportunity to potentially make history tomorrow as the first Australian to do so?
OP: I assume you mean first front row in Melbourne, because we had a front row last race. It would be really special to achieve. I’m not setting my sights too firmly on that, obviously. We’ve got a lot of work to do to maximize the race tomorrow and see what the weather does first. But it would be very special. I don’t really have another way of answering that—it would mean a lot. To have an Aussie on the podium, it hasn’t been done in a while, so that would be a good start. If I can stand on the top step, I’ll do everything I can to achieve that. Putting national pride aside, I want to do it for myself as well. I’ll try my best, obviously.
Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) A question for Lando and Oscar. I know you’re free to race at the start of this new season, but going into tomorrow, how are the talks going to be in the morning in terms of protecting this one-two result, particularly with Max tailing you closely?
LN: Oscar does a really good Andrea accent, so maybe he wants to say it from Andrea’s point of view. Or maybe in a Zak accent! There have obviously been discussions because… We’re prepared because we know we’re going to have more of this kind of thing over the season. There are clearly rules we cannot cross. Both cars must always stay in the race, but we’re both competitors. That’s clear. We both want to fight for a win and victories. But there are boundaries around the car—just a little more space here and there. We’re free to race, free to try and win races. But what won us the Constructors’ last year was how we helped one another and how we kept things clean. How there was order when there needed to be. A lot of that was later in the season when external things were happening. Right now, there’s none of that. So we’re both excited. Of course, we’ll have our morning talks, but that’s normal.
OP: Yeah, I think the only Andrea accent I can do is about some of the innovative things on our car that everyone’s obviously seen now! We’re free to race each other. I want to win as much as Lando does. He summed it up well. I think in any team, not just McLaren, the number one rule is no contact. We must give each other space. If there are opportunities for either of us to take advantage of situations, we will. But ultimately, we are racing for the team. That’s important. We’ve said many times that the teamwork we showed last year helped us win the Constructors’. It’s important to recognize that fact. The car has been strong for a while, but also the team is very strong too. That’s as good as I can put it.
Q: (LA Wilshaw – Top Speed) Lando, we could hear the roar of the crowd as Oscar crossed the line to get pole. I’m sure you heard it too. Then, very closely behind, you crossed the line. Is it bittersweet to get the first pole of the season and make your mark but also disappoint quite a few thousand hearts as you do it?
LN: I’m pretty sad, actually. Yeah, I’d say it’s bittersweet because I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t want to upset people. But it’s my job, and it’s what I get paid to do. It’s what’s written in my contract and I have to go out and drive as quick as I can. It’s difficult because every country backs their drivers. It’s the same for Max in Zandvoort and Spa, Austria – all of those ones. And it’s the same for me at Silverstone. And Belgium actually, I’ll claim that one! And therefore, kind of the Netherlands too. At the end of the day, my job is to drive as quickly as I can. If that’s pole, then that’s pole. I’m happy I did my job. But I do want to make it out of Australia safely! The fans have always been very supportive of me too. I’ve had an Australian team-mate for quite a while now, so I’ve got used to it. They do cheer me on as well. I know they cheer Oscar on a lot more, but that’s expected and I appreciate the support I do get.
Q: (Michael Lamonato – Fox Sports) Lando, in particular, you expected a much stronger challenge from Ferrari, but that didn’t happen. So a question for both McLaren drivers—how do you look at the margin you had today? Do you feel like you and the team really nailed it in these conditions, or were you expecting more from the other front-running teams?
LN: I mean, I expected more. They’ve been just as quick as us all weekend. We definitely came into qualifying expecting a fight with Ferrari, although Max was not far behind, as he said, he was a bit surprised to be up here. I think we expected more from Ferrari. People are quick to judge, ‘oh he’s there on the timesheets, they’re slower, the car isn’t good’. But it’s difficult out there to put a lap together. When you see how close one tenth can be it can easily be three or four positions. A tenth is easily within most drivers every lap, especially on a track like this. It’s about commitment, pushing that little more on the final lap, getting off the brakes, committing to corners, pushing track limits. There’s a tenth in most people. Sometimes two-tenths in taking those risks. I felt I still took a good amount of risks in the final lap to get pole. But I did expect Ferrari to be quicker. Whether that’s because they didn’t put good laps in or struggled more with the car, I don’t know. You’d have to ask them. We all expected Ferrari to be quicker because they have been just as quick as us all weekend. So it’s more that they just didn’t perform in qualifying for whatever reason.
OP: Yeah, I think the same. Going into qualifying, we expected Ferrari to be our biggest challenge. In FP3, any one of the top four teams looked like they could challenge. I don’t know, maybe we just took more sandbags out than everyone else! I don’t know. I was pleasantly surprised by the pace we had in qualifying. Maybe surprised by some other teams, namely Ferrari. But it’s only one session. Obviously, the headline now is probably going to be “McLaren is by far the quickest,” but I think it will change a lot over the next few races. If we don’t know who will be quickest, I don’t know how anyone else can. It’s going to be a good fight. I expect Ferrari to be fast and competitive through the year.
