Race preview: Australian Grand Prix

Alex shares his thoughts on the weekend ahead in our Round 1 preview

Published

13 MAR 2025

Est Reading Time

3 min

After all the build up, the 2025 season is finally upon us — and Alex is raring to go at the Albert Park Circuit.

Round 1 of the campaign sees our Thai racer head down under, as the Australian Grand Prix opens proceedings for the first time since 2019.

With the anticipation continuing to build in Melbourne, here’s everything you need to know about the weekend ahead…

Track guide

The Albert Park Circuit is one of Formula 1’s most unique venues, with its semi-street track layout and mix of backdrops — featuring parkland, lake views and the Melbourne skyline.

It is also designed for excitement, thanks to high-speed straights, testing corners and fast chicanes.

Running across 5.278 km (3.280 miles) and with 14 turns, expect plenty of wheel-to-wheel action with a number of overtaking opportunities on each lap, particularly heading into Turn 1 and Turn 3.

Albono’s record

Alex will have fond memories of his visit to Melbourne in 2022, when he picked up his first-ever point for Williams with a P10 finish.

That represented a particularly impressive return for Albono, after he started last on the grid before climbing through the field with aplomb.

The following year wasn’t as successful, with AA23 unable to finish the race after a high-speed accident at Turn 6.

And last season saw Alex narrowly miss out on a point when he placed P11 — a position he will be looking to improve upon this time around.

Alex’s thoughts

Alex revealed his excitement ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, saying:

"The first race of the season is finally here! It’s great to be back in Melbourne — there’s always such a buzzing atmosphere and a lot of home support from Asia.

"This year, Melbourne follows on from a very busy 'off-season' full of big events for the team, including the announcement of Atlassian as our new Title Partner, but we also did a huge amount of race preparation.

"The pre-season test in Bahrain was positive and we learned a lot about the new car.

"Carlos and I agreed on the areas that needed attention before the season started and I know everyone’s been working hard behind the scenes to action our feedback, so I’m feeling pretty good going into this year.

"We’re in a much better place compared to the start of the season last year. I can’t wait to get back out there and see how we stack up against the other teams."