Lando Norris and Max Verstappen battled hard in Melbourne (Image: Getty)
Lando Norris held his nerve to kickstart his 2025 season with a victory at the Australian Grand Prix. The Brit led home and as home hero Oscar Piastri’s heartbreaking spin took him out of contention.
There was immediate chaos from the start as rookie Isack Hadjar crashed on the formation lap. The Frenchman’s mistake was followed by a crash for Jack Doohan, who dropped it in treacherous conditions on the opening lap. Under the ensuing safety car, lost control in the final corner and found the barriers.
When the race restarted, Verstappen hounded Norris for the lead, but the Dutchman’s tyres quickly perished, and he ran wide in the final sector on lap 17, handing second place to Piastri.
The Australian was then unleashed to hunt down his team-mate and came within DRS range, but a mistake on the approach to Turn Six dropped him nearly three seconds back before the safety car returned for a Fernando Alonso shunt at the same corner.
Rain arrived on lap 44 and caused chaos. First, Piastri lost control at the penultimate corner, dropping a lap down in the process before Gabriel Bortoleto and Liam Lawson both lost control in the perilous conditions. Those crashes brought out another safety car and shuffled the pack.
Norris finished first while Oscar Piastri recovered to P9 on the final lap (Image: Getty)
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When the safety car eventually came in, Norris held his nerve despite immense pressure from Verstappen behind. The Brit kicked off his title bid with maximum points at a soaked Albert Park Circuit.
Australian Grand Prix results in full
1. ()
2. ()
3. ()
4. (Williams)
5. Kimi Antonelli ()
6. (Aston Martin)
7. (Sauber)
More F1… [EXPLAINED]
8. Charles Leclerc ()
9. Oscar Piastri ()
10. ()
11. (Alpine)
12. (Racing Bulls)
13. (Haas)
14. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
15. Liam Lawson () – DNF
16. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – DNF
17. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – DNF
18. (Williams) – DNF
19. Jack Doohan (Alpine) – DNF
20. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – DNF