BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton fumes at Ferrari error as Lando Norris wins chaotic Australian GP

McLaren were the overwhelming favourites for victory with Lando Norris on pole ahead of Oscar Piastri but Max Verstappen was right behind them while Lewis Hamilton had to cut through the pack

Lando Norris maintained remarkable control of a rain-soaked and chaotic Australian Grand Prix to take victory – while Lewis Hamilton was left to rue a botched Ferrari strategy call.

Norris started on pole and led for almost the whole race, which saw six drivers crash out as several rain showers battered the Albert Park Circuit. Max Verstappen briefly got in front but that was only because the Brit pitted a lap earlier when one of the more intense downpours hit.

The Dutchman will be happy to settle for second place on a day when things could have gone much worse for Red Bull. George Russell made it two Brits out of three on the podium as Mercedes got everything right, which helped rookie Kimi Antonelli to climb from 16th on the grid to finish fifth on debut after a late penalty, behind the very impressive Alex Albon in the quick Williams.

But among the big losers were Ferrari who gambled late on when the rain hit a track that had been drying and they opted to stay on the slick tyres. Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were briefly at the front as a result but lost way too much time and, by the time the team rectified their error, they had slipped back down to ninth and 10th – and they only finished on place higher each. And Oscar Piastri, who had been on course to finish second, went off track at the wrong moment and that cost him dearly.

Heavy rain had battered Melbourne in the hours leading up to the race, leading to treacherous conditions at the start. Rookie Isack Hadjar was the first to learn that the hard way as he lost control on the formation lap and crashed before his maiden F1 race had even begun.

That led to a 15 minute delay but there wasn’t much racing action before it was neutralised again by the safety car. Its appearance was triggered by another rookie losing control, as the locals in the stands lost one of their two home heroes when Jack Doohan crashed his Alpine.

It wasn’t just the inexperienced drivers who were being caught out. Carlos Sainz reported over the radio that he had experienced an unusual spike of torque from his engine which led to him crashing his Williams behind the safety car.

Those few laps of racing was enough time for Verstappen to slip by Piastri and split the McLarens before the yellow flags began to fly. That ensured the Dutchman would be right on Norris’ gearbox as the race restarted.

However, he ended up slipping back behind Piastri on Lap 18 as he went through a puddle and over some gravel, which slowed him enough for the Melbourne native to fly past. Soon after, Verstappen told his Red Bull team that he was struggling on his tyres, though he was urged to stay out for now as the rain was easing and the track starting to dry.

Just beyond half distance, and with Verstappen more than 16 seconds adrift, Piastri was the only threat to Norris’ lead. He was within DRS range but McLaren, clearly worried about throwing away an increasingly likely one-two finish, ordered him not to attack until the track dried more.

Not long after he was given permission to go for it again, Fernando Alonso span and crashed, prompting the reappearance of the safety car and a dash into the pits for everyone to change onto slick tyres. It brought Verstappen right back into contention and he opted for the medium tyres, while both McLarens ahead were on the harder compound.

But after the restart, with a dozen laps to go, the rain was intensely falling again and it came at exactly the wrong time for Piastri who suffered one small slip which saw him slide off the track and come to a stop on the grass. He gingerly crept back onto the tarmac but he was a lap down and his podium hopes were over.

Norris was one of many driver who pitted for intermediate tyres with the track getting wetter while a few others took the risk. Verstappen stayed out and took the interim lead with 10 laps to go, while Hamilton also gambled after struggling all race – but both ended up pulling into the pit lane anyway as the rain intensified.

Liam Lawson then crashed the other Red Bull at the same time Gabriel Bortoleto had a separate incident in his Sauber, prompting a third safety car period. The Ferrari gamble to stay on slicks did not work while a few others also dropped to the back because of a similar error. It worked wonderfully for Mercedes as Russell was third and Antonelli, having started his debut F1 race in 16th, found himself up in fifth place.

Hamilton was displeased with his new team’s choice and let them know about it, swearing over the radio after he was told that he was back down in ninth place with just a handful of laps to go. That was where he finished.

At the front, Verstappen applied the pressure heading into the final lap and Norris had to give his all to keep the Red Bull behind. But he continued to place his McLaren perfectly in defence against his title rival as the Brit lived up to his pre-season billing as the favourite to be wearing the crown by the end of the year.