It smelled like burnt rubber as Lewis Hamilton peeled away from the pits during the Melbourne Grand Prix — this year’s home opener for what many think will be the most exciting season in Formula 1’s 75-year history.
I watched from above, with a coveted spot on the rooftop of the Paddock Club, directly between the Scuderia Ferrari and McLaren garages. My hands were pruney, my lips blue, and my whole body was shaking from the rain and dropping temperatures. But I’m glad I stuck out the notoriously finicky Melbourne weather because I had a prime view of all the carnage and chaos of the wet and wild Louis Vuitton 2025 Australian Grand Prix 2025.
Here’s a VIP look at how this exhilarating and unpredictable F1 weekend unfolded.
Friday: Free Practice 1 & 2
I walked into the Champions Suite of the Paddock Club, a guest of The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne, where I saw drivers like Carlos Sainz, George Russell, and Fernando Alonso before even arriving at the track.
Suite access in the glamorous and pricey Paddock Club also gives racegoers a chance to walk the Pit Lane and see the Formula 1 cars up close. I watched as Williams practiced tire swaps in seconds flat and Kick Sauber changed their front wing in perfect synchronization.
After lunch at the Ritz Carlton’s signature restaurant, Atria’s pop-up, inside The American Express Lounge, it was time for Free Practice 1 and 2.
The drivers took each hour-long session to get used to their cars on the circuit, test out various tires, and just try to stay on the track. We watched as Haas driver Ollie Bearman careened into the wall, foreshadowing the weekend ahead.
Saturday: Free Practice 3 & Qualifying
The next day, hand-held fans and motorsport fans were out for a scorching hot FP3 and qualifying session that saw track temperatures reach 106 degrees. It was in the high 80s as I waited in line for cold coconut gelato inside The American Express Lounge before securing a viewing spot on the rooftop of the Paddock Club.
Once the engines revved, the action started with Free Practice 3, where lap times were incredibly close across all the teams. A few hours later, I stood above the Scuderia Ferrari garage to watch the three timed sessions that decide the starting grid for the Grand Prix.
As was expected, qualifying saw eyebrow-raising results, like Mercedes AMG Petronas rookie and wunderkind Kimi Antonelli in P16 and midfield teams like Williams and Racing Bulls starting ahead of Ferrari — my personal favorite. But it was McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Melbourne’s Oscar Piastro who led a front-row lockout for Sunday’s race.
Sunday: Race Day
Race day was a complete 180 from Saturday, with temperatures plummeting down into the 60s, pouring rain, and wild gusts of wind. For the first half of the day, I hid out under cover, people-watching in The American Express Lounge with a hot chocolate in hand.
Drivers like Nico Hulkenberg, Yuki Tsunoda, Max Verstappen, and honorary Australian Valtteri Bottas walked by under umbrellas, waving and stopping for selfies. Team principals like Toto Wolf zoomed past on a scooter, and mechanics wheeled tires to the garage in preparation for the race.
After a freezing cold driver’s parade around the circuit, the carnage started early, with rookie Isack Hadjar crashing during the formation lap before the race even began. Once the debris was gone, it was time for the magic words F1 fans had been waiting 98 days to hear, “It’s lights out and away we go.”
Track conditions made it one of the most captivating races in recent Albert Park memory, with multiple crashes, six DNFs (did not finish), and plenty of hairy moments that had spectators gasping until the final laps.
When hometown hero Oscar Piastri skidded off the pavement and into the wet grass, the shrieks and groans from the crowd were louder than a V10 engine. With so much drama on track, I was glued for all 57 laps until Lando Norris crossed the checkered flag with four-time world champion Max Verstappen less than a second behind.
Given the overwhelming amount of surprise, heartbreak, and uncertainty throughout the race, let’s hope the season opener is an indication of what’s to come for the 2025 Formula 1 season
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