Lando VS Oscar: F1’s Next BIG Rivalry

If qualifying today in Australia is anything to go by, one of these two drivers will be the world driver’s champion in 2025. Since testing, everyone’s been talking about McLaren leading the championship in 2025, and today, that was the case. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked out the front row, and the fight at the front is looking like it’s going to be between these two evenly matched drivers.

It was an impressive display at Albert Park, and after the press conference, they spoke about the rules in place, leaving space, being diplomatic, but, of course, being able to race. They both want to win, and the team seems like they’re going to allow that, especially in the early stages of the year, until it becomes clear who is the dominant driver.

Oscar has the best chance in gosh knows how long to become the first Australian to stand on the podium at an Australian Grand Prix. And if it’s on the top step, it’s going to be a riot. I was photographing in pit lane after qualifying, and Lando and Oscar were happy with their performances. George Russell came over and congratulated Lando, and Max Verstappen was quick to congratulate both of the boys on their efforts.

There’s no doubt that today’s qualifying stamped these two guys as the stars of 2025. Here’s Lando on the back of a golf buggy looking pretty happy as he was heading down to do the interviews and pick up his big tire trophy. Then it was off to the press conference where I had to laugh when one of the journalists asked if he felt bad about taking pole off Oscar in his home country. He quite rightly said, “No. I’m paid to go fast. That’s my job.” Sad for Oscar that he didn’t make it onto pole at his home Grand Prix, but that’s not Lando’s responsibility, nor should it be.

In that same press conference, one of the journalists asked Max Verstappen how he felt about the rain that’s forecast for the race, to which he replied along the lines of, “Yeah. It’s slippery when it’s wet,” and that’s a fair comment too. On a disappointing note, Liam Lawson, Oliver Bearman, and Kimi Antonelli were knocked out in Q1. Jack Doohan ended up tenth in Q1, while Pierre Gasly came in eleventh. Unfortunately, Jack was inconvenienced by Lewis Hamilton’s spin, which meant he was knocked out in Q2.

But going into Q3, who would have thought that both of the Williams drivers would end up in front of two Ferraris? This man here, James Vowles, was keen to perhaps put a lid on the excitement earlier in the day, saying, “Look, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.” But I think what his boys have done today has clearly said that whatever they’re doing back in the factory is having big dividends on track.

Now, what else have I seen over the past couple of days? Adam Norris, Lando’s dad, one of the finest men you’ll ever meet. He’s down having a chat with Fred Vasseur. Why is he having a coffee at Ferrari? Well, McLaren don’t have decaf, and he loves decaf. So he’s wandered next door, caught up with Fred, pointed at me, and Fred’s pulled a funny face, which is not the first time he’s done that. This resulted in a photo that did pretty well on my Instagram page.

Being Oscar Piastri’s home race, there is huge interest in the Australian driver. His image is everywhere. He’s got a promotional deal with his burger company and his Quad Lock stuff going on out there as well. But today, I got a note from his mum saying she’d left a present for me. I popped down to the reception area, and there it was: a box of Rumbles and lamingtons handmade by Oscar’s nan. I’m not the only one to get these because, traditionally, she makes them for all of the team, and they are indeed tasty and popular.

Now, other things you might be interested in: Patrick Roberts, a world-renowned violinist, caught up with Liam Lawson at the front of the Red Bull Hospitality Suite, playing a thirteen million dollar violin. And what was he playing on his violin? The F1 theme song. Crowd numbers are huge here in Australia. In fact, this race last year was the second biggest crowd of the year. Silverstone was the winner with 480,000. But this year, Travis Olds, who runs the show here, says that he can get it up to around 465,000. That’s only 15,000 short of Silverstone.

I asked him, “What about next year? Can you give them a run for their money?” He said, “Yep. Watch what we do.” So I’m thinking perhaps a couple more grandstands, more entertainment for people, and it could be the world’s biggest F1 race. The largest ever F1 crowd was 520,000 at the 1995 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide before they moved to Melbourne.

Now, on the subject of crowds, a lot of people were lining up just after midnight at gate one on Thursday. That gave them the best chance of getting a front row at the Melbourne Walk. However, I have seen a couple of comments where people are saying that those gates didn’t work properly. So those people that queued up at the closest gate ended up not being the first to get to the Melbourne Walk. If you’ve waited seven or eight hours in a line, I think you have a fair right to be pretty darn angry.

Still on the subject of the Melbourne Walk, this is one of the great opportunities for fans to meet drivers. Now only nine of the twenty drivers did the Melbourne Walk. A lot of them came the sneaky route down behind the grandstands, escorted by security guards. However, this security guard at the entrance had no idea who Fernando Alonso was and demanded to see his passes. Of course, Fernando’s pass was on his backpack.

This year, there’s something different when it comes to the podium. Of course, we’ve got a change of sponsor from Ferrari to Moet and Chandon. We’ve gone from a black podium to red, bright red with the Moet and Chandon logo big along the bottom. You’ll notice that big time when you see the drivers on the podium after Sunday’s race. And yes, for those of you who haven’t caught up on the news, track invasions are back here in Australia. We’re going to see the main straight packed with tens of thousands of people after the race.

I noticed that the FIA are now sponsored by Tommy Hilfiger. You’ll see their logo on the left breast of their shirts. They were a Mercedes sponsor last year, but, of course, Lewis has left Mercedes. I believe that Lewis was responsible for getting Tommy Hilfiger into the sport.

We had Kimi Antonelli arrive with his sister Maggie, and he was pretty proud to walk into the paddock with her. It’s always a delight to see Lando’s parents, Adam and Cisca. Cisca is on a crutch, having had an operation on her foot, so she’s on the mend. A pleasant surprise was to see Lando’s sister, Flo, who is a horse rider of note, in attendance with a friend. Ollie Bearman’s dad, David, comes to a lot of races, and I was introduced to his mum, Terri, in the Haas hospitality suite on Thursday afternoon. I haven’t spotted Terri at a race previously, so it was nice to meet her.

Of course, Australia is a fair hike from Europe, but that didn’t stop Gabrielle Bortoleto’s girlfriend, Isabela Bernardini, from joining us for this race. She was at the back of the Sauber garage during free practice one. What are your thoughts on Liam Lawson’s new fluffier hairstyle? Curls even! A lot of you commenting on social media. I thought he looked fantastic, and he’s got this air of confidence about him. This is very close to his home race. In fact, it is quicker to get from New Zealand to Melbourne than it is for me to get from Perth to Melbourne.

On Thursday night, I was shooting a whole lot of F1 experience as guests with the trophies on the pit lane. As this couple walked past me, the guy stopped and said, very quietly with his back to his girlfriend, “I’m gonna propose to her. Make sure you get it.” Sure enough, he goes down on one knee, proposes to her. There were tears, kisses, and hugs—it was quite a lovely experience. That’s not the first time I’ve captured a proposal at a Grand Prix track; it’s a popular thing to do.

For those attending the event, you would have picked up that there is a new bridge that crosses Albert Park Lake. It is quite impressive because, unlike the other one, which was all squares and horrible to wheel anything across, this one is flat. Good job, guys!

Have you seen the new F1 movie trailer? Despite what you think of the movie, what did you think about them using Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain”? I think it’s a masterstroke because if you’re a British racing fan, you would know that the bass section in the middle of that song is the opener for BBC Five Live’s coverage. I love that track, and when that hits you in the theater with a big sound system, that’s gonna be a spine-tingling moment for lots of people in that audience. Those music rights would not have come cheaply.

Lando VS Oscar: F1’s Next BIG Rivalry

KYM ILLMAN

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