Lando Norris proves point to Max Verstappen with what he did during Australian GP

Lando Norris has said all winter that he has learned from his failed 2024 Formula 1 title bid and become a better driver, and he proved it by beating Max Verstappen to victory in Melbourne

There were crashes, several rain showers and everyone made multiple pit stops. And yet, after 56 laps of chaos, on the final trip around Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit it was all about those two again.

Lando Norris had led the majority of the race from pole but, as he sped towards the chequered flag, there was an ominous and familiar sight in his mirrors. The Red Bull of Max Verstappen, however, failed to stop the Brit from winning the first race of the year – the fifth victory of his Formula 1 career.

“Not everything is about the car – today was a deserved win because we made good decisions as a team,” he said. That includes the 25-year-old himself, who made victory in one of the most treacherous races of his career look easy. McLaren and Norris famously threw away a maiden F1 win at Sochi in 2021, with a botched tyre decision and then panicked behind the wheel when a late rain shower swept in off the Black Sea.

But he was the picture of control in Melbourne on Sunday despite the weather itself not knowing what it wanted to do. It started out wet and started to dry up – a process slowed by several small showers – to the point the slick tyres went on. But then the rain got harder again and Fernando Alonso’s crash, one of six, presented teams with a choice – pit for wet weather tyres or roll the dice.

Ferrari did the latter, along with a handful of other cars, but it was soon clear that Norris and McLaren had made the right call by stopping. He roared past Lewis Hamilton, debuting as a Ferrari driver, who faded down to 10th place by the end.

Norris, always reluctant to speak positively about himself, said he felt he could take “a bit of credit” for keeping cool under the pressure applied by Verstappen and team-mate Oscar Piastri. His most effusive praise, though, was for his colleagues who he feels have learned much from errors last year.

He said: “In the past, like last year, we would have done the same race and we wouldn’t have won the race because we were not the best at making those decisions. But today we were and I give a lot of credit to the team because they worked hard over the winter to make sure we were ready for a day like today.”

George Russell, rather like his compatriot, made it to the podium by staying out of trouble. He said: “It was a race of survival. To come home in P3 is a good result. It’s no secret that it hasn’t been our strength in the past 18 months, these challenging races.”

Rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli, 18, was fourth on debut to put Mercedes level on points with McLaren at the top of the constructors’ standings. Team boss Toto Wolff said: “Even very good drivers spun or hit the wall. It’s easier to not finish than to finish and he kept his cool. It was just very impressive to see. It shows that he has a good future as long as the trajectory keeps being like it is.”

Alex Albon finished fifth as Williams made an excellent start despite Carlos Sainz crashing out behind the safety car early on. But Brit Oliver Bearman, 19, was 14th and last of the finishers as he and his Haas team endured a miserable weekend Down Under.