Lando Norris maintained his composure in a rain-soaked and incident-filled season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, narrowly beating reigning champion Max Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton finished 10th in his debut with Ferrari.
Starting from pole position, the Brit crossed the finish line with less than a second advantage over the Dutch driver, while George Russell from Mercedes secured third place after a tumultuous race in Melbourne, which witnessed three crashes before the first lap was completed.
Due to multiple accidents on the slippery Albert Park track, the safety car had to be deployed several times, but Norris managed to secure his fifth Grand Prix victory and second consecutive win after finishing first at the last race in Abu Dhabi in 2024.
Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar, Alpine’s Jack Doohan, and Carlos Sainz of Williams—who won the race last year—all failed to complete the first lap on a circuit made perilous by earlier heavy rainfall.
Starting the season as the frontrunner for the 2025 drivers’ championship, Norris solidified his position as the competitor to beat.
Verstappen, who aspires to become just the second driver to clinch five consecutive world titles after Michael Schumacher, was competitive early on but suffered an unusual mistake on lap 18 that affected his prospects until another safety car allowed him to regain competitiveness.
In the variable conditions, with intermittent rain, Williams’ Alex Albon impressively finished fourth, followed by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who was making his debut.
Lance Stroll of Aston Martin took sixth place, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg driving for Sauber. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc placed eighth, with Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri and Hamilton completing the top ten.
