McLaren’s Lando Norris won a chaotic, rain-affected Australian Grand Prix, securing his first victory at Albert Park. The British driver narrowly held off Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after a third safety car was deployed late in the season-opening Formula 1 race on Sunday.
Lewis Hamilton had a tough Ferrari debut, finishing 10th and expressing frustration over constant radio messages from his pit crew.
Norris started Melbourne’s first wet race since 2010 from pole position. Initially, he faced pressure from Oscar Piastri, who set a series of fastest laps until his team instructed him to hold position. However, as the rain intensified, Piastri spun at the penultimate corner on lap 44, falling down the order. He mounted a late recovery, finishing in ninth place, passing Hamilton on the final lap, and securing two championship points.
Max Verstappen finished just 0.895 seconds behind Lando Norris after starting from third on the grid. He capitalized on Piastri’s misfortune, the final safety car period, and tire changes. Mercedes’ George Russell completed the top three.
“I knew I had good pace, but I made one mistake in turn six, and he got past me with the DRS. The DRS here is probably worth around a second, so that helped him stay within that range,” said Norris, who secured McLaren’s 12th win in Australia, taking the outright record from Ferrari.
“I know what I’m capable of and what I can do, but it’s only round one, so we need to do it again next weekend and continue from there. It’s a long season ahead, and we just have to keep our heads down and keep pushing.”
Williams had mixed results, with Alex Albon achieving his best finish since Abu Dhabi 2020. Meanwhile, new recruit Carlos Sainz, who won here last year driving for Ferrari, was eliminated on the opening lap at the final turn.
Mercedes was pleased to have both cars finish in the top five, with George Russell securing a spot on the podium, his first since winning in Las Vegas last year. Rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who replaced Hamilton at Mercedes, impressed with a remarkable recovery drive, moving from 16th on the grid after exiting Q1 to finish fifth.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll also made the most of the chaotic conditions, climbing from 13th to sixth, ahead of Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg, who secured eighth place and earned valuable points for his team despite a challenging weekend in dry conditions.
Ferrari, the most successful team at the Australian Grand Prix with 11 wins since 1987, left Melbourne feeling disappointed, earning just five points after Charles Leclerc finished eighth and Lewis Hamilton placed 10th. Scuderia Ferrari was considered a potential title contender before the season began, but they have a lot of work to do ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix next week.
The Melbourne race kicked off with excitement, as Racing Bull’s Isack Hadjar retired on the formation lap, and Alpine’s Jack Doohan joined Carlos Sainz in crashing out on the opening lap.
In the end, only 14 drivers finished the race. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso crashed into the barriers at turn eight on lap 34, while Red Bull’s Liam Lawson and Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto both went into the barriers and were forced to retire 10 laps from the finish in the treacherously wet conditions.
