F1 | The F1 Donkey Bold 2025 Australian Grand Prix Predictions & Opinion

March 12, 2025

Faster than a Max Verstappen, more potentially expendable than a Jack Doohan, with more swearing than the FIA would like, and harder to get out of than a Brazilian gravel trap, it’s the F1 Donkey with his unique view on F1 and more. Before each race The F1 Donkey puts the ass in sass and unloads his alternative, slightly unhinged thoughts on F1 including this week’s Bold 2025 Australian Grand Prix Predictions and opinion.

The F1 Donkey’s Pre Australian Grand Prix Thoughts

It’s finally here, the 2025 F1 season, and starting in its rightful place too. Melbourne. It just feels right. Not in the dullness of the Bahrain desert where F1 experts will talk up the track’s technical offerings like a parent trying to talk up eating Cauliflower to a child. Sure it might be good in some way, but ultimately it tastes like sh!t.

Not that Albert Park is actually that much better a track than Bahrain, but the closeness of the walls and sand traps means that early season arrogance is punished to the maximum. For our enjoyment. And Melbourne’s unpredictable weather helps too. Bahrain is nothing but predictable.

Then of course we’ll get the moaning from European fans about the season starting in Australia because they’ll have to get off their arse early in the morning to watch. Doesn’t matter that 80-90% of the F1 season is tailored to European afternoons or prime time.

But the comparison of tracks, weather and Greenwich Mean Time aside, it is exciting to have a new F1 season to savour. And unlike 2024 there has been much change.

There’s been a clean out of some under performing drivers, some of which will pose a problem for the site’s F1 race reviews, as the constant hammering of Sergio Perez filled up a large amount of the race report. Perez did make it easy with possibly the worst performance in a top team since Sergio Perez in a McLaren. Other drivers will be missed but quickly forgotten as we all get excited by a fresh batch of rookies.

One getting the plummest drive for a rookie since Lewis Hamilton got a McLaren in 2007 then proceeded to give Alonso the sh!ts all season. That driver Kimi Andrea Antonelli has a great name. The Kimi part is a great nod to the Finn World Champion, and the second name is F1 inspired but for a driver less successful, but no less notorious. Unless it’s not actually dedicated to Andrea de Ceasris. But if it is, it is tempting the F1 karma gods, as de Cesaris was known as De Crasheris due to his regular meetings with walls and other cars. Antonelli has already binned an F1 car in Free Practice in Italy last season. George Russell probably swore. He can’t do that anymore.

Another rookie should enjoy his home race, and every other F1 race that he gets. As Jack Doohan will probably get the arse soon.

I could go through all the rookies, but can’t be bothered, and point you to our Preview of the 2025 F1 Drivers for this season.

From all reports it looks like McLaren will be the quickest. And whilst it’s not a great thing to have one car much faster than the other like just about every F1 season for the past two decades, but at least McLaren have two fast and capable drivers, unlike Red Bull where the second seat was always a poisoned chalice. Wonder when people would otherwise use a chalice. It doesn’t get used for anything other than poison. So until I see beer being offered in a chalice at the local RSL and/or bowls club, I won’t accept a drink from a chalice. And certainly not a golden chalice……

Further back should be Ferrari who have an all new Lewis Hamilton to play with. Which is interesting, and I guess we get to see how good Charles Leclerc is.

All of the above will no doubt be captured by the Netflix crews so they can make their Eastenders equivalent of F1. I could only wish that the Netflix F1 doc had the same amount of Christian Horner that Eastenders has. Although by refusing to watch it, I’m getting the same amount of Christian Horner. And the right amount of Christian Horner.

All I need to review the 2024 F1 season is watching the Lance Stroll gravel pit video from Brazil over and over and over again. I’d wonder how he will do this season, but already know.

I could go on for hours, but this website has already done a mountain of stuff ahead of the 2025 F1 season, and have asked me not to destroy too much of it with my ramblings. So enjoy the bold predictions, and catch you in a week’s time for China.

The NRL Donkey’s Bold 2025 Australian Grand Prix Predictions

And here they are, in a convenient team by team format, so you can ignore Kick/Stake/Sauber at your convenience. The F1 TV Cameras did in 2024, but they are more interesting this year.

McLAREN

Pole for Lando Norris. Win for Oscar Piastri.

RED BULL

Max Verstappen hit with the reality of not being in the fastest car from race one. Liam Lawson to have a Q2 exit, no points shocker. Liam Lawson to continue having an angry scowl face.

FERRARI

Podium for Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton to miss Q3, eliminated in Q2.

MERCEDES

Both Mercedes make Q3, Kimi Antonelli to spin out of the race but look fast. George Russell to clash with Max Verstappen, setting up the season nicely.

ASTON MARTIN

Lance Stroll qualify dead last. Fernando Alonso to miss points but not miss point in the press catch ups after the race. Aston Martin powers that be are unamused. Alonso put on notice. Could get interesting.