Howdy one and all, my name is Joey Lynch and it’s great to have your company for The Guardian’s live coverage of the first race of the 2025 Formula 1 season. And we’re coming to you from a grey, wet, and windy Melbourne.
The aphorism in motorsport, not just F1, is that rain is the great equaliser and if that bears true then today’s race might be staged on one of the most level playing fields we’ve seen for quite a while. In contrast to the scorching temperatures of yesterday, the temperatures are in the mid teens in the Australian sporting capital (low 60s in freedom units) and could drop even further in the afternoon. In addition, rain has already buffeted Melbourne across the morning and the forecast is projecting further, spotty showers over the course of the race.
Already today, race organisers, doing what they can to ensure the main event is put in the best position to go ahead, have been forced to cancel today’s V8 Supercars race after just two laps and the scheduled Formula 2 race before it could complete its formation lap.
What does that mean? In theory, it means the technological advantages enjoyed by the grids heavyweights – while still there – will be lessened by the conditions. That means that the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri atop the grid, who have possessed a clear edge in pace throughout this weekend, won’t glean the same kind of boon they otherwise might have in dry conditions.
For the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in seventh and eighth, conversely, whose cars haven’t shown the same kind of speed as their rivals thus far but are expected to show better pace once the race gets underway, the conditions could serve to give them a leg up in their attempts to move through the pack in front of them.
Lights Out: 9pm PST/4am GMT/3pm AEDT