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F1 LIVE: Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. (Image: Getty/Express Sport)
After 91 days of waiting, the 2025 Formula One season finally kicked off at the this weekend. may have set the early pace in Friday’s free practice session but was not entirely happy. Charles Leclerc was quickest in a closely-bunched top five, with Oscar Piastri a tenth of the Monegasque and close behind his team-mate. was a surprise fourth for Racing Bulls with Hamilton some four tenths off his Scuderia colleague in fifth. It was a troubling session for , with slower than F1 debutant Isack Hadjar in the other Racing Bull and Liam Lawson 17th-fastest.
It could prove to be one of the most open F1 seasons in recent history as the teams look to end the current set of regulations on a high before the sweeping changes in 2026. This race in Melbourne has been won by five different drivers in as many years, with victorious last year, and there could be another new name added to the history books as Leclerc, Piastri and Norris all fight from the front. Scroll down for live F1 updates from Express Sport…
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Red Bull submit special request to bend FIA rules
are to submit a request to the FIA to grant them an exemption to allow one of their drivers under the age of 18 to be handed a superlicence.
Helmut Marko confirmed the Austrian team are keen to get Arvind Lindblad, their 17-year-old talent, behind the wheel as a reserve driver.
However, FIA rules currently state that drivers under the age of 18 cannot race unless a special exemption is granted.
“We have Ayumu Iwasa as our reserve driver,” Marko told Auto Motor und Sport. “Lindblad has the points for the superlicence. We also completed a 300km test with him in a Formula 1 car at Imola, so he could theoretically step in.
“But he doesn’t turn 18 until September. That’s why we’re currently applying to the FIA for an exemption for the super licence. Antonelli got it, too. We see no reason why the same shouldn’t be true for Lindblad. Then we’d already have two drivers on the bench.”
Hamilton ‘complained all day’ about Ferrari car
was not entirely happy with his car on Friday as he could only finish fifth in FP1.
The 40-year-old was notably less jubilant than he has been with the SF-75 in the Melbourne sunshine after appearing to suffer from understeer in the car.
According to Sport, Hamilton had been ‘complaining all day’ about the lack of bite when the car turns its front nose into a corner, which makes it harder for him to drive the way he is used to.
The report claims Charles Leclerc may also be not content with the setup as the pair both enjoy attacking corners and don’t mind a loose rear end.
(Image: Getty)
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