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Lando Norris drives for McLaren during the 2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix
(Photo: Steven Tee/LAT Images)

Lando Norris Wins an Action-Packed, Rain-Soaked Race in Melbourne

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McLaren’s Lando Norris held off a late challenge from the Red Bull of Max Verstappen to win on a wet track in Sunday’s (March 16) Australian Grand Prix. Norris led the majority of the race from the start, only yielding the position during several frantic mid-race pit stops.

“It was a tough race, especially with Max behind me.” A happy Norris said in the post-race interview. “It was a little bit stressful, I’m not going to lie, but this time we got it right and ended up on top.”

Home-town favorite Oscar Piastri had been in touch in the sister McLaren for a large portion of the race, at one point closing to within DRS range of Norris, but went sliding off-track as the rain came down on lap 45. After dropping back to 15th, Piastri eventually clawed his way back to ninth.

Verstappen confirmed his strength in damp conditions, putting pressure on the McLarens throughout the entire race but ultimately lacking the pace to overtake the papaya cars.

The Mercedes of George Russell finished in third. Andrea Kimi Antonelli was the class of the rookie field, finishing fourth, followed by Alexander Albon’s Williams. Antonelli was briefly issued a 5-second penalty for an unsafe release in the pits, demoting him to fifth, but this penalty was rescinded after the race.

A decision to stay out on slicks when the rain came down late in the race caused the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to finish eighth and 10th, respectively.

Lance Stroll took sixth place, while Nico Hulkenberg took an opportune seventh for Kick Sauber.

In what became a race of attrition, Isack Hadjar, Jack Doohan, Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Liam Lawson all fell victim to the slippery track. Oliver Bearman finished in 14th but stayed on track in what had otherwise been a less-than-ideal weekend.

How It Unfolded

The wet track added question marks surrounding the first race of the season. McLaren lobbied for a rolling start, which would also limit first-corner jeopardy for the team’s two drivers, but race control opted for a standard launch from the grid.

Isack Hadjar spun on the formation lap, damaging his rear wing and putting him out of his first F1 race before it had started. As a result, proceedings were delayed by 15 minutes.

When the race finally began, Zak Brown’s fears were confirmed, with Verstappen passing Piastri around the outside of turn 2 to take second-place.

All cars had a clean start. Leclerc passed Albon and Tsunoda to fifth-place, while Lewis Hamilton stayed in seventh.

Australian rookie Jack Doohan lost control of his Alpine on the first lap and hit the wall. Carlos Sainz also spun under the resultant safety car, reducing the grid to 17 before a single racing lap had been completed.

An uneventful restart followed the safety car, with the three frontrunners largely holding position. Russell’s Mercedes couldn’t match their pace, quickly falling back.

Like the Mercedes, the Ferraris of Leclerc and Hamilton seemed to lack the speed of Norris, Verstappen, and Piastri, with some complaints about early tire wear.

On lap 17, Verstappen was also reporting that his tires were dead, locking a brake and letting Piastri through for second place. The gap between the Red Bull and the McLaren quickly grew to 4 seconds.

As of lap 24, Hamilton’s Ferrari had better pace than the Williams of Alex Albon ahead, but some strong defending from Albon meant that Hamilton couldn’t get past. Some settings guidance from the team suggested that Hamilton is still familiarising himself with his new steed.

In contrast to Verstappen, both McLarens were reporting that their tires felt good. By lap 29, Piastri had drawn to within 1 second of Norris, before being told to hold position.

The second Red Bull of Liam Lawson was as much as three seconds a lap slower than Verstappen, suggesting that he has a lot of work to do if he is to support the world champion throughout the season.

On lap 34, Fernando Alonso dipped a tire in the gravel, spinning his Aston Martin into the wall and ending his race.

With conditions improving, the safety car that followed Alonso’s shunt caused most cars to dive into the pits for slicks. The McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari teams all opted for hard compounds, while Red Bull rolled the dice with the less durable but softer mediums.

As the cars processed behind the safety car, conflicting advice came from the teams on the pit wall. Some said the dark skies would result in rain, while others believed it would skirt the track.

Ultimately, all teams stayed on the slicks they had previously fitted, and the safety car ended on lap 42. Norris got away well, with Piastri also pulling away from Verstappen, despite the medium tires on the Red Bull. Tsundoa jumped Leclerc on the restart.

Three laps later, the rain did arrive, and Piastri slid onto the grass in the increasingly slippery conditions. He managed to reverse his car off the grass and back onto the track but had fallen back to 15th and out of contention for a race win.

Norris opted to pit again for intermediate wet tires, while Verstappen stayed out on slicks, inheriting first place.

One lap later, Verstappen also decided intermediate wets were the smart choice, while the two Ferraris persevered with slicks, occupying first and second positions for several laps.

On lap 48, the Ferraris took the opportunity to finally pit, but the damage had been done, losing significant ground to nearby runners who had already made the switch.

Rookies Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto both lost control, bringing out the safety car once again.

The race recommenced on lap 51 for a six-lap sprint to the finish. Norris initially pulled away to a 1.3 second lead from Verstappen, but the Red Bull drew back to within DRS range on the penultimate lap. Norris, however, was able to hold Verstappen’s late charge at bay, finishing just 0.895 seconds ahead.

2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix Results

Next up on the 2025 F1 calendar is the Chinese Grand Prix from the Shanghai International Circuit. Coverage on ESPN will begin at 3 a.m. ET on Sunday, March 23.

Peter Molloy began following Formula 1 during the 1985 Australian Grand Prix. He cheered for a certain Ayrton Senna, who was driving the same black and gold colors as a toy F1 car that Pete had been given. Pete continued to be a fan of Senna throughout his childhood. Fast forward many moons, and Peter now combines significant journalistic experience with decades of watching F1 to cover the latest on-track and off-track action.