2025 Melbourne Grand Prix Review: How Lando Norris Survived the Chaos

The 2025 Formula 1 season opened in dramatic fashion at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit on Sunday 16 March, delivering a race defined by changing weather, three safety cars and a tense late duel between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.



When the flag fell after 58 laps, Norris claimed victory for McLaren in 1:42:06.304 — just 0.895 seconds ahead of the reigning world champion — immediately setting the tone for what could become a fiercely contested championship.



A dominant start undone by the weather



McLaren arrived in Australia as one of the fastest cars in pre-season testing and converted that pace into control of the early race.



Norris led most of the opening phase from team-mate Oscar Piastri, with Verstappen briefly passing the Australian on lap one before a mistake handed the position back.



As the race settled, the McLarens stretched a sizeable advantage — at one stage Verstappen dropped roughly 16 seconds behind the leaders.



But Melbourne rarely rewards comfort.



Intermittent rain returned with around 15 laps remaining and immediately transformed the race into survival mode.



Grip disappeared corner by corner, and drivers struggled to judge braking points on a circuit that was wet in some sectors and nearly dry in others.



The turning point



The decisive moment came when both McLarens slid wide in the final sector as the rain intensified.



Norris gathered the car and dived into the pits for intermediate tyres at exactly the right time.



Piastri, however, spun into the grass and fell to the back of the field, ending any chance of a home victory before recovering to finish ninth.



Verstappen briefly inherited the lead but stopped two laps later as conditions worsened, handing the advantage back to Norris.



After the third safety car restart, Verstappen hunted the McLaren relentlessly in the closing laps but never found a way past.



Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle summed it up: “That’s one of the great all-time drives from Lando Norris there… in the most challenging conditions, with the restarts and so much pressure.”



The win also ended Verstappen’s extraordinary 63-race streak leading the drivers’ championship dating back to 2022.



Mercedes surprise, Ferrari struggles



Behind the leading pair, George Russell secured third place for Mercedes — a podium that had looked unlikely for most of the afternoon.



Rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli produced one of the standout drives of the race.



The 18-year-old climbed through the order to finish fourth after Mercedes successfully overturned a post-race penalty that initially dropped him behind Alex Albon.



Albon still delivered an excellent fifth for Williams, the team’s best result in years, highlighting a major step forward in performance.



Ferrari endured a far more complicated opener.



Charles Leclerc finished eighth while Lewis Hamilton, making his debut for the team, scored just one point in tenth after a difficult afternoon that included constant radio discussions about communication with his new engineer.



Ferrari briefly gambled on staying out on slick tyres during the late rain, which momentarily put Hamilton into the lead, but the strategy quickly unravelled once the track worsened.



The full top ten



Norris led Verstappen and Russell on the podium, followed by Antonelli, Albon, Lance Stroll, Nico Hülkenberg, Leclerc, Piastri and Hamilton completing the points.



Several drivers failed to finish including Liam Lawson, Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz and Jack Doohan, while Isack Hadjar did not start.



What it means for 2025



With 23 races still to come — from China and Japan through to Abu Dhabi — the championship picture is wide open after just one round.



McLaren demonstrated genuine winning pace, Red Bull proved they remain formidable under pressure, and Mercedes hinted they may be back in the fight.



If Melbourne is any indication, the 2025 season may finally deliver the sustained multi-team title battle Formula 1 has been missing.



And after mastering chaos in Australia, Norris leaves round one not just with a victory — but with belief that this could be his year.




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