Formula 1: Lando Norris holds off Max Verstappen to win wet and wild Australian Grand Prix

Hometown heartbreak for Oscar Piastri as Norris starts season they way he finished the last, while Lewis Hamilton has miserable Ferrari debut

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McLaren driver Lando Norris waves to the crowd after winning the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:24pm, 16 Mar 2025Updated: 3:04pm, 16 Mar 2025

McLaren’s Lando Norris swept to victory in a wet and wild Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, holding off defending champion Max Verstappen in a white-knuckle finish to a Formula One season-opener littered with crashes and safety cars.

Mercedes’ George Russell was third on the slippery Albert Park circuit, where only 14 of the 20 cars finished in the treacherous conditions.

Lewis Hamilton had a miserable Ferrari debut. The seven-time champion finished 10th – two places behind teammate Charles Leclerc – and was annoyed by constant radio messages from his pit team.

Norris, the preseason favourite for the drivers’ title, started the Formula One season as he finished the last at Abu Dhabi – with victory from pole.

The win ended Verstappen’s long run at the top of the championship standings dating back to May 2022.

Lando Norris celebrates with the trophy, along with Max Verstappen (left) and George Russell. Photo: Reuters

Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri started second on the grid but finished ninth, his dreams of becoming the first home driver to claim victory or a consolation podium ending with a skid into the grass. A late race fightback helped him recover to take ninth place and two championship points.