Norris wins rain-hit Australian GP opener as Hamilton has frustrating afternoon

Sir Lewis Hamilton - Photo by Ferrari S.p.A

McLaren’s Lando Norris claimed victory in a dramatic and rain-affected 2025 Australian Grand Prix, fending off a late charge from Max Verstappen to take the first win of the season. George Russell secured third for Mercedes as unpredictable weather and multiple safety cars shaped a gripping race in Melbourne.

“It was amazing,” said Norris. “Tough race, especially with Max behind me. I was pushing, especially the last two laps. It was a little bit stressful, I'm not going to lie. But an amazing way to start the year, a tough one—we went off and we made some big mistakes, went through the gravel, got a little damage. Just tricky conditions but these are the ones I enjoy more, they're fun and unpredictable, but this time we got it right and we ended up on top, so I’m very happy.”

Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who pushed hard in the final stages after a mid-race error, admitted he enjoyed the challenge despite missing out on the win. “It was fun, those last laps pushing, at least when you know you're fighting for the win. But I'm just very happy to bring it home, score good points, and this is, I would say, a decent starting point for us.”

Mercedes' George Russell was full of praise for his teammate, saying, "very well done to Kimi to come back to P5 which is a really impressive first race for us. It wasn't our strongest weekend but to end up on the podium, [I'm] super happy and let's see what we can do next week."

Rounding out the top ten, Alexander Albon delivered an impressive drive for Williams in the challenging conditions, finishing just four seconds off third place. Behind him, Andrea Kimi Antonelli produced an outstanding debut performance for Mercedes, recovering from early setbacks to claim a top-five finish and earning high praise from teammate George Russell.

Speaking after the race, the rookie said: “We got all the possible conditions for a first race—defiNorris wins rain-hit Australian GP opener as Hamilton has frustrating afternoonnitely not an easy one, but [I'm] super happy. The team did a great job, although I made a couple of mistakes which cost me a bit of time, but I have to say conditions were super tricky. Otherwise, really happy, the team guided me really well throughout the whole race and now looking forward to China.”

Lance Stroll followed with a clean and consistent drive to secure sixth for Aston Martin, while Nico Hülkenberg put in a strong showing for Kick Sauber, delivering a tidy race and solid points. Charles Leclerc, representing Ferrari, ran a steady race but saw his efforts hampered by strategy calls and a late tyre change that limited his progress. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri looked strong in the early stages and even challenged for a podium at one point, but was ultimately held back by team orders and a costly mistake later in the race, which saw him run off track and end up stranded on the grass as the field passed him by.

Sir Lewis Hamilton had a frustrating afternoon. After being stuck behind Alex Albon’s Williams in the early stages, Hamilton reported a gear sync issue over team radio. Despite pushing hard later in the race and attempting to manage the slick tyre gamble during the late rain, Ferrari’s strategy ultimately compromised his result. He would finish tenth, salvaging just a single point on what could have been a much stronger outing.

Hamilton said: “At least we got one point but overall not what I was hoping for. There was so much to get used to with all the switch settings and changes that they were throwing at you, and then just the balance of the car. Really, really tricky today. I think we can improve that in the next race hopefully, get the car in a sweeter spot because I think there is a lot more potential in the car than what we were able to extract today.”

The race weekend marked Melbourne’s 28th time hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix, and delivered one of the most unpredictable season openers in recent years. The drama began even before lights out, with teams frantically changing to intermediate tyres on the grid following a late shift in weather conditions.

The formation lap saw heartbreak for rookie Isack Hadjar (Visa Cash App Racing Bulls), who crashed into the barriers and retired before even making it to the start line—his rear wing too damaged to continue. The start was aborted as the grid reset following the incident. A touching moment followed, as Anthony Hamilton, father of Sir Lewis Hamilton, was seen consoling the devastated rookie.

Further chaos followed on lap one, when Jack Doohan (Alpine) was involved in an incident at Turn 5, bringing out the first safety car of the race. Soon after, Carlos Sainz (Williams) hit the wall under the same safety car conditions and was also forced to retire.

Once racing resumed, Norris led the field ahead of Verstappen and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. However, the McLaren teammates were divided by Verstappen until he made an error that allowed Piastri to pass. Despite appearing quicker, Piastri was told to hold position for four laps before being told heh was free to orace, continuing the intra-team tension seen last season.

A second safety car was deployed on lap 34 following a crash for Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin). Upon the restart on lap 42, tyre strategy became a crucial factor: both McLarens were on hard tyres, while Verstappen opted for the faster mediums. The rain eventually returned to the circuit.

The slippery conditions saw several drivers gamble on staying out on slicks, including Verstappen, Hamilton, and Leclerc—but it proved costly. A third safety car was then deployed following incidents involving Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson.

The closing stages of the race saw Verstappen hunting a relentless Norris, but the McLaren driver held his nerve to secure a hard-fought victory in treacherous conditions.

Formula One now moves on to the Shanghai International Circuit in China for the Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2025, taking place from 21st to 23rd March.

Final Classification (Top 14 finishers)

1.  Lando Norris (McLaren) – 25 pts

2.  Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 18 pts

3.  George Russell (Mercedes) – 15 pts

4.  Alexander Albon (Williams) – 12 pts

5.  Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 10 pts

6.  Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 8 pts

7.  Nico Hülkenberg (Kick Sauber) – 6 pts

8.  Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 4 pts

9.  Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 2 pts

10. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 1 pt

Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls)

Esteban Ocon (Haas)

Oliver Bearman (Haas)

Did Not Finish (DNF): Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto, Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Jack Doohan

Did Not Start (DNS): Isack Hadjar

Norris wins rain-hit Australian GP opener as Hamilton has frustrating afternoon by Damian Hall