Karun Chandhok: Is Red Bull’s problem Liam Lawson or the car?

After months of heightened anticipation ahead of 2025’s Formula 1 season, we had the first look into what the year may bring. I absolutely love going to the Australian Grand Prix. Yes, I know it’s a pain for people in the UK to wake up at 4am for the start but it’s a brilliant event with nearly half a million people coming in over the weekend.

I also feel like it’s a rite of passage that every true F1 fan must go through. I have great memories of sleeping on the sofa near the TV, setting the alarm in time for the formation lap, rolling over bleary eyed to see the season kick-off and I hope that the new wave of ‘Netflix F1 fans’ also appreciate that.

As I write this on the flight from Melbourne to Shanghai after Round 1, I reflect on the early glimpses into the three big questions heading into the season: a) How will Lewis get on at Ferrari?; b) Will Red Bull be in better shape than they ended last year?; and c) Can Lando Norris win his first F1 World Championship?

I thought that it was a solid start to Lewis’s life at Ferrari. He built up his confidence over the weekend but there was a trend throughout where he was losing out to Charles Leclerc in the medium to high-speed corners. Turns 1, 6 and 12 around Albert Park are now fairly quick sixth-gear corners and it was where Leclerc just seemed to have more confidence when compared to Hamilton.

In the ultra-high-speed section of Turns 9 and 10 and the slower sections under braking, Ferrari’s Brit was more than a match for his team-mate. This is a positive for Lewis as it means he only needs to really focus on one area to understand how to unlock the potential rather than if it was a little bit everywhere.

It was interesting listening to the radio communications throughout the race between Lewis and his new engineer Riccardo Adami, who previously worked with Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel. While they have had testing and the practice and qualifying sessions to start to build a relationship, until you actually get into the stress of a live race it’s impossible to really understand what the best way is to communicate. There were times where Lewis wanted more information but more often than not, he asked to be left alone and that balance is just something that they need to learn about each other.

The Red Bull RB21 looks like a tricky car to drive and I always think you need to look at the second driver as a barometer for that. Max Verstappen has extraordinary natural talent who once again dragged a performance out of a car that seemed problematic on track. Based on a data set of one, Liam Lawson could be joining the line-up of Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly and Sergio Pérez who are all very good drivers and done well in other cars but can’t master a Red Bull that’s on a knife-edge like Max can.

I saw the two-time MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner in Melbourne and the situation at Red Bull reminded me of his time at Ducati. In 2007, only Stoner could win on the Desmosedici GP7, taking the title when his team-mates were nowhere close. He left for Honda in 2011 and won a second championship; Ducati didn’t take another title until 2022. With Mercedes and Aston circling Max, Red Bull should be mindful of the Ducati example and create a package that more drivers can be successful in.

“Lando Norris delivered the best victory of his career so far in my opinion”

Norris delivered the best victory of his career so far in my opinion. In contrast to last year when he seemed uncomfortable with being genuine contender for wins and the title, he looks to be walking a bit taller with an air of confidence that tells me he’s learnt from last year. He took ownership of the strategy calls from the cockpit, managed his pace in very trying conditions and didn’t crack under pressure at any point.

In previous columns, I said that Norris starts the season as the favourite for the title and so far it seems like there’s no reason to change that opinion.