“The race pace may be good, but qualifying has started as a nightmare.” With these words, Italian journalist Carlo Vanzini commented on Ferrari’s performance in Australian GP qualifying, with the team securing only 7th and 8th on the starting grid for tomorrow’s race at the 5.278-kilometre Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne—almost confirming Toto Wolff’s harsh prediction.
The Mercedes team principal, ahead of the season’s first weekend, had bluntly referred to Ferrari as the fourth-best team. Based on what was seen in Melbourne and their fourth-row result, Toto Wolff was absolutely right.
Ferrari struggles in Australia: Is the wet setup entirely to blame?
After pre-season optimism, Ferrari was brought back to reality with a harsh wake-up call in Australian GP qualifying. A fourth-row start and over six-tenths off pole position immediately exposed the situation. In the race, Leclerc and Hamilton will even start behind a VCARB and a Williams—not what was expected from the SF-25.
The qualifying performance certainly surprised even Ferrari itself. After analyzing the race pace in practice, such major struggles were not anticipated. The third sector at Albert Park was a disaster for the Maranello team, which could be a worrying sign for the upcoming races.
“Clearly, something major went wrong,” Carlos Vanzini added while speaking to SkySport. It remains to be seen what happened to Ferrari, as a wet setup alone might not be enough to explain the seven-tenths gap to McLaren. Additionally, Albert Park should have been a favorable track for Ferrari, making such a poor result all the more shocking.
Tomorrow, fans will have their alarms set for 5:00 AM Central European Standard Time as the formation lap kicks off the first race of the 2025 Formula 1 season. With rain in the forecast, anything can happen, but one thing is certain: on a tricky track, driver skill will matter more than car setup or outright performance. An exciting race awaits.
