Formula One: Australian Grand Prix

The first trace of the season was a wild experience for F1 fans. The Australian Grand Prix took place on Sunday March 8 at the early hours of 4am. Here at Luna we are going to have a quick overview of what happened and what is to come next.

Starting off with our winners Mercedes, George Russell took first place taking maximum points at Albert Park Circuit. Alongside him was his teammate Kimi Antonelli in second place. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton took third and fourth place. 

Ferrari drivers were both in the top five were a compliment to the team's work and left Hamilton feeling positive despite the changes. Alongside Hamilton, Leclerc was happy with what the team could deliver in their first race and described them as strong.

Last year's world champion wasn't too far behind, Lando Norris placing fifth with a sad reality that his teammate Oscar Piastri did not finish at all due to a crash. Forty minutes before lights out, during the formation lap started, his home race got off to a bad start. Piastri spoke openly about the accident on the day, finding he was on the curb just a little more than expected. On reflection both drivers are aware after the race the car needs improvements and development moving further into the calendar. The team is hoping for some better races to come.

Sadly for Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso felt he could not do more than twenty five laps. With concerns of damage to his nerves in his hands the car is causing reliability problems. Adrian Newey has spoken about developments and hopes to see changes in the next few races.

Congrats to Racing Bulls, Arvid Lindblad was impressive stealing points in his formula one debut at the Aussie GP. And as Cadillac being a new team they were pleased with their result and have openly said that this was the best place they could have asked for as a brand new team, placing 16th. 

New regulations have sparked controversy and lots of opinions on and off grid. But it made the first race exciting to watch with the likes of Max Verstappen climbing up the grid from 20th to sixth place. Verstappen proved once again the magic isn't in just the qualifying. Whilst it is fun for us, Norris has made it clear that the sport is becoming dangerous if it keeps the regulations. 

This weekend was all about learning how races will look like. A new era for Formula One is daunting but stands for everything about the sport. Trialing and testing and seeing developments in cars along with their drivers. It is about seeing how fast they are but also how they evolve race by race. The new battery power and buttons of overtaking and boosting provided entertainment and brought out the competitiveness of the drivers we love. 

Now onto this week March 15, at 7am we will be taken to the Chinese Grand Prix. We will see you next Monday for another debrief.