MoneyGram Haas F1 Team opened the 2025 FIA Formula 1 World Championship with Esteban Ocon 13th and Ollie Bearman 14th at the Australian Grand Prix, held Sunday at Albert Park, Melbourne.
Esteban started from 19th place on Pirelli Cinturato Green intermediate tires after rain fell during the build-up to the race, while Bearman took the start from the pit lane – also on intermediate rubber – after set-up changes were made to the suspension on his VF-25. Esteban moved up to 15th at the start, with Bearman 17th, before both drivers took on another set of intermediates on lap 4 during a safety car period.
Esteban and Bearman settled into rhythm until a further safety car period, initially staying out on intermediate tires, before both pitted on lap 40 for P Zero Yellow medium tires as conditions improved. A further shower swept across Albert Park and Esteban and Bearman came in to switch back onto another set of intermediate tires on lap 46 when the race was neutralized by another safety car period. Esteban and Bearman kept it clean through to the checkered flag to register 13th and 14th respectively.
Up front McLaren Racing’s Lando Norris claimed victory, ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, with Mercedes-AMG’s George Russell third.
Esteban Ocon: “It’s really the performance we missed out on this race, if we had a little bit more we would’ve been in the mix for points. The cars were fighting in front and I was just there, there was no position for me to get inside the top 10, I just couldn’t keep up unfortunately. We need to give it a good look – it’s not what we’ve seen, so it’s quite unexpected to be where we are this weekend – but I’m sure we’ll turn it around.”
