First red flag of the 2025 F1 season waved: Minor incident in Melbourne FP1

A short red flag delay and the first of the season occurred after Jack Doohan ran off the circuit slightly, causing gravel to come onto the Albert Park tarmac. Doohan, the home hero, 's Alpine, survived unscathed as he dipped his wheels into the trap. The delay lasted just a few minutes, nearing the midway stage of the session. A sweeper vehicle was deployed to remove the debris.

Footage of Max Verstappen and Jack Doohan was shown by the TV direction, but they did not seem to have caused all the gravel. It was more an accumulation of all the drivers who had gone over the edge in that section of the track.

It could be related to the new kerbs at Albert Park. Those new kerbs allow the drivers to push the limit more, so they also encounter the gravel more quickly. As a result, the gravel spreads across the track. easier

Red flag deployed :red_circle:

There's a lot of gravel collected on the circuit at Turn 6 and 7 :point_down:#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/2BUJ6t99JV

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 14, 2025

This article was written in collaboration with Tim Kraaj