Lando Norris survived a rain shower and late charge from Max Verstappen to open his season in style by winning a wild, wacky and thrilling Australian Grand Prix.
With 13 laps remaining, both Norris and Oscar Piastri, who was running behind his McLaren team-mate in second place, ran off the road and through the gravel in the slippery conditions.
Norris was able to dive into the pits to move back on the intermediate tyres and salvage victory, but Piastri ended up in the grass at the penultimate corner, scuppering McLaren’s dream of a one-two. He would cross the line in ninth.
Norris took the chequered flag just 0.8 seconds clear of world champion Max Verstappen with George Russell third for Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton finished a disappointing 10th on his Ferrari debut.
A RACE WIN TO START 2025! 🔥
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) March 16, 2025
What a drive, @LandoNorris 👏#McLaren | #AusGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/FirfltXhR3
Williams’ Alex Albon was fourth, one place ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.
The late chaos had promoted Hamilton to the lead after Ferrari kept him out on slick rubber. But the seven-time world champion was forced to follow the rest of the field and move on to wets.
Hamilton was furious with Ferrari’s decision to keep him on the slick tyres.
“I didn’t think it was going to rain much,” said Hamilton. “We missed a big opportunity.”
Hamilton dropped to ninth, swearing when he was told he had fallen so far back, before team-mate Charles Leclerc and then Piastri passed him on the final lap.
The opening round of the season started in wild fashion after rookie Isack Hdjar crashed into the barriers on the second corner of the formation lap.
The French-Algerian was in tears and received a consoling arm from Hamilton’s father, Anthony, as he made his way back to the pits.
When the race got underway after a 15-minute delay, Verstappen, starting third, was much quicker than Norris and Piastri off the line, but Norris moved aggressively to his right to hold off the Dutchman.
Verstappen swooped round the outside of Piastri to take second place before rookie Jack Doohan put his Alpine in the wall. Out came the safety car on lap one, before Carlos Sainz crashed into the barriers at the final corner with three drivers out before the start of the second lap.
On lap 17, Piastri moved clear of Verstappen and then set about reducing Norris’ three-second advantage.
By lap 30, Piastri was right on Norris’ gearbox before he was controversially ordered to “hold position” by McLaren’s pit-wall.
“I am faster, but OK,” came the Australian’s response. After falling two seconds behind Norris he was then told he was “free to race” his team-mate.
Moments later, Fernando Alonso was in the wall at Turn 11 leading to a second safety car. With the track drying out, the field pitted for slick rubber before the race re-started again on lap 41.
But the rain arrived again just three laps later with Norris and Piastri running off the road. Norris came in for wets, dropping him to eighth. Verstappen assumed the lead and attempted to stay out on dry tyres, but had to stop two laps later for intermediate tyres.
That promoted Hamilton to the lead but with the rain continuing to fall, the seven-time world champion had no grip on his dry tyres and Norris was back in the lead.
On lap 47, Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto both spun out leading to a third safety car, which came in with six laps remaining.
Verstappen got to within half-a-second of Norris, but the British driver was able to keep him at bay to seal a fine win following a dramatic first round of the new campaign.
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