Time will tell just how significant this victory proves to be in the career of Lando Norris. But after holding his nerve to win this chaotic, rain-affected, season opener, and then holding forth in the press conference afterwards, owning the fact that McLaren are “favourites” for the title this year and dismissing the pressure his rivals tried to place him under, it felt significant.

Norris received so much criticism last year for his perceived fragility; for his weakness in the face of intense pressure from Max Verstappen; for his failure to capitalise on a faster machine. One worried that he might begin to believe that reputation himself.

Norris spent the winter insisting that he had learnt from his errors and was now ready to claim his destiny. But until he actually stepped up and did it, it was all just talk. 

This was a weekend when the 25 year-old once dubbed Lando ‘No Wins’ demonstrably delivered. In some of the most inhospitable conditions one can imagine, with cars slipping and sliding all over the Albert Park street circuit – Racing Bull’s Isack Hadjar did not even last two corners of the formation lap before he careered into a wall – Norris was note-perfect.

He got off to a good start, which was a real Achilles heel last year. He held off first Verstappen and then McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri in the first part of the race. He was calm each time there was a safety car period (which was often given six cars crashed out in total, including four of the six rookies in the field). And then, when the rain fell again in the final period and Piastri spun off and dropped to the back of the field, his communication and execution was exemplary. 

What a recovery drive from hometown hero Oscar Piastri 👏 pic.twitter.com/jRn7xIjAfJ

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 16, 2025

Pitting for intermediates, Norris managed to avoid the overcut from Verstappen, and then hold off the fast-finishing Dutchman who was within DRS range by the chequered flag.

“It was very satisfying,” he admitted after taking the lead of the drivers’ championship for the first time in his career (this is in fact the first time in 1029 days that a driver not named Max Verstappen has led the championship). “To start the season with a win is good enough, but to do it in such a stressful race, when it is so easy to make a mistake, so easy to ruin everything, was even more rewarding.”

Norris admitted there had been some “tough moments” since his title hopes were washed away in similar conditions in Brazil last autumn. “But that is what makes it sweeter,” he said. “We worked very hard over the winter to prepare for a race like this because we threw away a lot of opportunities last season. Canada and Silverstone [for instance], where were not the best at preparing and being decisive. But today we were very, very decisive, calling to box half a second before I needed to box, as I was still trying to save the car and making sure I didn’t shunt. It was the right call and that won us the race.”

Sitting either side of him in the press conference, Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell, who rounded out the podium after Piastri’s unfortunate spin, looked unsure as to how to deal with this new version of Norris. McLaren appear to have the fastest car in the field by some distance. Better balanced than the rest. Easier on the tyres. Now they have a driver who is beginning to believe in himself.

Of course, we are only one race down. Piastri could yet pose a serious threat. The Australian pushed Norris all weekend - he was even ordered not to attack him at one point during the race as McLaren “studied the weather and cleared traffic” before telling them they were free to race again; McLaren’s advantage may not be as pronounced at other circuits; Verstappen, Russell, even the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton could also have a say this season, despite their disappointing opening weekend. But this did feel like a moment. 

There were other great stories to emerge from this race - Kimi Antonelli finishing fifth on debut for Mercedes, the best result by a F1 rookie in 30 years, Alex Albon finishing fifth in a Williams, Ollie Bearman finishing at all after the weekend from hell - but the overriding memory at the end of it was of Norris smiling after being asked whether he now considered McLaren “favourites” to win the title this year, as their rivals did. Russell had said on Saturday that the Woking team could “stop development now and go fully onto 2026” such was their advantage. 

“If that is their mentality, then wonderful because that is not the mentality to have,” Norris said when asked about that quote. “Sorry mate,” he added, looking at Russell. “But yes, we know we have a lot of work to do on this car. In Formula One if you start to think everything is good and groovy that is when you get caught. 

“But yes we are the favourites, the team to beat and we have two drivers up there pushing each other, and that helps.”

---

07:28 AM GMT

The next race of 2025

It is the Chinese Grand Prix. It is the first sprint race of the year with the session timings below. Some early starts again but at least the race is more reasonable for those of us Europe. 

Friday March 21

FP1 - 3.30am GMT
Sprint qualifying - 7.30am 

Saturday March 22

Sprint race - 3am
Qualifying - 7am

Sunday March 23

Chinese Grand Prix - 7am

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07:16 AM GMT

A poor weekend for Lawson on his Red Bull debut

Karun Chandhok has said he needs to find some way to “clean the slate” and start again. We’re only one race into his career with the team! Ouch. He was hampered by limited running (as he was in testing) but he was so distant to Verstappen and never really looked like getting out of the top 15. And his race ended in the barriers...

---

07:03 AM GMT

An impressive debut race from Kimi Antonelli

Of three ‘true’ rookies, who have never raced in F1 before, he was the only one who managed to get it to the end. He had a spin but recovered from that well to finish fourth on the road and then fifth after a penalty for an unsafe release. That was not his fault, though.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says the result is “really impressive”. He started 16th, let us not forget.

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06:54 AM GMT

Hamilton assesses his first race for Ferrari: unhappy, in short

“It was very tricky. It went a lot worse than I thought that it would go. The car was really, really hard to drive today. For me I am just grateful that I kept it out of the wall because really that’s where it wanted to go most of the time. But a lot to take from it. Getting acclimatised, a new power unit in the wet conditions... it requires a different way of driving. I hung out as long as I could, got in the lead at one point.”

He is asked whether he could have guided the team more on what was happening and questioned the team’s own advice:

“Just the guidance in how much more wet rain was coming was just missing there. We missed out. We tried to but the information that I got was that it was a short shower, real quick. And at the time it was only the last corner so for me I was like the rest of the track was dry, I can keep this on track if that’s all that’s coming. And then more came.”

I think that is fair enough. He was constantly telling his team to stop giving him advice but it will take time for the relationship to come. 

---

06:49 AM GMT

Alexander Albon reacts to fourth for Williams

“You kind of wish that it was mid-point in the year and you’ve had this struggle and this P4 was something special. It’s very special, trust me, but it’s happened immediately so you are kind of like you wished you worked for it a bit more. We were running P7 and P6 pretty much the whole time through. We had good pace as well. 

“Even on the restarts on that medium tyre it felt very strong, the car. Lots to learn, lots to feed back on. It’s exciting. It’s so tight out there. It’s going to be a dogfight the whole season.”

---

06:42 AM GMT

Piastri reacts

“It’s obviously pretty disappointing at the moment, I feel like for pretty much every lap apart from one I drove an incredibly strong race. It’s just a shame to not have the result to show for it. I obviously don’t have anyone to blame but myself, it was probably a bit unfortunate to get stuck the way I did. Obviously disappointed.”

---

06:41 AM GMT

That was a messy race from Ferrari

Hamilton spoke of a big missed opportunity after their pit stop blunder. Think there is something in that but their pace in any of the conditions did not look great. A strange race for them, Leclerc in eighth and Hamilton 10th. Neither driver was particularly happy but this was a strange track in difficult conditions. Let’s see what happens in China next week...

---

06:33 AM GMT

Six retirees today

Hadjar went off on the formation lap, Doohan on the first racing lap and then Sainz under the Safety Car. Alonso then lost it in the wall before Lawson and Bortoleto crashed out in the final heavy rain shower. 

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06:32 AM GMT

Norris picks up the Jack Brabham trophy

McLaren definitely the team to beat at the start of 2025. They had a big pace advantage after about 10 or 15 laps. Verstappen was nowhere. 

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06:30 AM GMT

Zak Brown speaks to Sky Sports F1

“Unbelievable drive. A team called a perfect strategy in very difficult conditions. I feel terrible for Oscar, he drove such a brilliant race. They both came upon that rain at the same time and Lando was able to collect it up but for Oscar it was a little bit more tricky. Everyone back at McLaren, the men and women, they have built a proper race car.”

---

06:25 AM GMT

Constructor standings

1. McLaren - 27pts
2. Mercedes - 25pts
3. Red Bull - 18pts
4. Williams - 12pts
5. Aston Martin - 8pts
6. Sauber - 6pts
7. Ferrari - 5pts

I think Williams and Sauber will be delighted with that. Sauber did not even manage that total in the whole of 2024. 

---

06:24 AM GMT

Norris celebrates his mum

The cameras switched to her when both McLarens went off and she looked enormously concerned. Relief for her now. 

---

06:19 AM GMT

Here is that Piastri move on Hamilton...

Strong. 

Oscar Piastri. Round the outside of Turn 9. 😮‍💨

What a move on Lewis Hamilton to take P9 💪 pic.twitter.com/raO48te7fb

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 16, 2025

He was looking pretty forlorn as he returned to the pit lane. And you can understand why. If the McLaren is as strong as it looks it could be a fight between him and Norris for the championship. And he has conceded 23 points to him today. A long way to go, though. 

Contrasting emotions for the McLaren duo 📈📉 pic.twitter.com/IfnyTIzqAD

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 16, 2025

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06:15 AM GMT

Norris reacts to an Australian GP win

“It was amazing. A tough, tough race, especially with Max behind me. I was pushing, the last two laps it was a little bit stressful I am not going to lie. But amazing way to start the year. A tough one because we went off and made some mistakes. I went through the gravel and got damage. Just tricky conditions, but these are the ones that are enjoyable, fun and unpredictable but in the end we got it right and I am very happy. 

“We got it wrong a lot last year so I guess we learned from our mistakes. We lost out on Silverstone and Canada in a race like this. It’s still only round one of 24... I was pushing the whole way through. I could relax inside but I wasn’t relaxing from how much I was pushing. To not have a mistake that cost me anything I guess I can take a little bit of credit for that.”

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06:13 AM GMT

Verstappen reacts to second place

“It was a difficult race but at the end it was fun. Lando had a little moment on entry of six... that’s why I got close. I got close but it’s very hard to pass around here. It’s fun, at least when you are fighting for the win. This is a decent starting point for us. It started to rain a bit, they went off so it’s a bit like a panic ‘oh I need to box’. They went in, I stayed out. 

“The first lap honestly I think it was alright but then unfortunately the weather continued a little bit more on the other side of the track as well and we had to box. I think at the end of the day if we boxed one lap earlier we should have still been P2 anyway after that stop. I think it was worth a gamble.”

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06:10 AM GMT

George Russell reacts to an encouraging third

“It was a great race to come home in P3. A massive well done to Lando. In a race like that when you are leading it’s probably your worst nightmare. Really well done to Kimi [Antonelli] to come back to P5 which is really impressive first race. For us, it wasn’t our strongest weekend but to end up on the podium, super happy. 

“It was good fun, I was quite enjoying it to be honest. Really, really tricky - that is what F1 is about. All things considered it’s been a really good weekend. We know McLaren are out in front at the moment but this has been a really strong result.”

---

06:06 AM GMT

Survival the name of the game in those conditions

And breathe. What a race that was to start the season. Incidents, accidents, drama galore. The conditions accounted for four of the six rookies as well as a couple of seasoned veterans in Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz. Lando Norris will be breathing a huge sigh of relief to have clung on. His confidence will be hugely boosted. You feel for Oscar Piastri at his home race, spinning off when he was challenging for the win. But that was the name of the game today: survival.

---

06:03 AM GMT

Australian GP - Top 10

1. NOR 25pts
2. VER 18pts
3. RUS 15pts
4. ALB - 12pts
5. ANT - 10pts
6. STR - 8pts
7. HUL - 6pts
8. LEC 4pts
9. PIA - 2pts
10. HAM 1pt

Piastri manages to pass Hamilton around the outside of turn nine and the inside of turn 10. Bold! But he had nothing to lose there unfortunately, his race being wrecked after spinning. 

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06:02 AM GMT

LANDO NORRIS WINS THE 2025 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX!

Hell of race that, in the end. McLaren check out in the main part of the race but late Safety Cars and a late rain shower threw that all up into the air. 

What a victory for Norris, he did not buckle under the various pressures. 

---

06:01 AM GMT

FINAL LAP

Here we go. Norris gets another smidgen ahead of Verstappen. I think he just needs to keep it on the black stuff now. 

Verstappen closes up at the high-speed chicane. Will he have the chance to overtake? No.

Five-second time penalty for Antonelli, which will cost him one place. 

But at the front can Norris hang on?!

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06:00 AM GMT

Lap 56 of 57 - Will Verstappen try a lunge somewhere?

Norris has driven superbly all race but will have to be at 100 per cent to beat Verstappen here. A grandstand finish coming up here. He is so close at turns nine and 10 and will be putting Norris under such pressure here. Can the McLaren driver keep his cool?

Antonelli up into fourth but has been noted for an unsafe release...

---

05:58 AM GMT

Lap 55 of 57 - Antonelli chasing Albon for fourth...

Russell has dropped back from Verstappen now. But Verstappen is now within DRS range of Norris! And is using it, apparently. 0.7sec the gap now. 

Updated order:

1. NOR
2. VER
3. RUS
4. ALB
5. ANT
6. STR
7. HUL
8. LEC
9. HAM
10. PIA

---

05:56 AM GMT

Lap 54 of 57 - Gasly runs wide at turn two!

Leclerc and Hamilton get through eventually after being cautious! Piastri right on the back of the Frenchman in the Alpine now. 

Verstappen 1.1sec behind Norris so has closed down a bit this lap. 

DRS has been enabled...

---

05:55 AM GMT

Lap 53 of 57 - Norris leads Verstappen by 1.5sec

Piastri is down in 11th by the way. Next man up the road is Lewis Hamilton. Both McLarens went off under that rain shower but Piastri more dramatically. Bad luck in many ways that he ended up on the grass and lost the best part of a minute trying to get the car going again. He might gets some points but he was fighting for victory...

---

05:54 AM GMT

Lap 52 of 57 - Norris keeps the lead

He has had to control his restarts several times today and he has done very well each time. Verstappen has to worry about Russell behind him. Mercedes the only team with two cars on the top eight. 

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05:52 AM GMT

Lap 51 of 57 - SC in this lap

Top 10: 

1. NOR
2. VER
3. RUS
4. ALB
5. ANT
6. STR
7. HUL
8. GAS
9. LEC
10. HAM

---

05:48 AM GMT

Lap 49 of 57 - Hamilton, in ninth, on the radio

“We said it wasn’t going to rain much. We just missed a big opportunity there,” he says. He is not very happy. It did seem to be a very strange decision from Ferrari to leave even one of their cars out on dry tyres, let alone both. I know what they were trying to do but it just seemed too big a gamble. Far too big. 

Four of the six rookies out. Antonelli in fifth and Bearman in 14th and last on the road are the only ones remaining. 

Everyone on intermediate tyres by the way. That might be it for the rain, though. 

---

05:44 AM GMT

Lap 48 of 57 - SC

Here is the order...

1. NOR
2. VER
3. RUS
4. ALB
5. ANT
6. STR
7. HUL
8. GAS
9. HAM
10. LEC

Ferrari have switched from the dry tyres to the intermediates. Only 14 runners now after Lawson and Bortoleo out. 

---

05:43 AM GMT

Lap 47 of 57 - Both Ferraris pit...

The SC comes out for those stranded cars. There was no chance of them being able to keep the car on the track. Ferrari dropping back here. 

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05:42 AM GMT

Lap 46 of 57 - Hamilton stays out on the slicks

He takes the lead with Leclerc second and Norris just behind but I will be very surprised if the manage to keep the cars on the track until the end of the lap. Unless there is a SC or red flag! And there might be! Bortoleto and Lawson have crashed out. Or spun out!

CHAOS!! The @astonmartin Safety Car is deployed once again 🟡

Lawson makes contact with the wall and Bortoleto is off the road#F1#AusGPpic.twitter.com/cGjFwFPjsS

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2025

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05:41 AM GMT

Lap 45 of 57 - Piastri manages to get into the pit lane

But he has lost so much time with that. Verstappen is told to stay out because they know that he will not win the race if he pits, most likely. Norris is now in sixth ahead of Lawson. 

The rain does not look to be too heavy at the moment but it is coming.

Top 10:

1. VER
2. HAM
3. GAS
4. TSU
5. LEC
6. NOR
7. LAW
8. RUS
9. ALB
10. STR

Some of those drivers on slicks, some on intermediates. In comes Verstappen, where will he come out? The rain is heavy now...

---

05:39 AM GMT

Lap 44 of 57 - It’s tight between Tsunoda, Leclerc, Albon and Hamilton

Tsunoda locks up and gives Leclerc a chance that he cannot take. Hamilton showing good pace. Verstappen closing in on Piastri for second as Norris extends his lead.

Both McLarens are off at the penultimate turn! Piastri spins at the final corner onto the grass and looks to be out of the race! Can he get it going? He is losing bags of time!

DISASTER FOR MCLAREN AND OSCAR PIASTRI!

The rain hits and both papaya cars spin off the track, but Oscar finds himself stuck on the grass 🌀 pic.twitter.com/bnX9KG6OtB

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 16, 2025

Norris pits for intermediate tyres and Verstappen takes the lead!

---

05:36 AM GMT

Lap 43 of 57 - Norris is getting twitchy about switching tyres

It is getting gloomier and gloomier out there. Norris has pulled out 2.4sec from Piastri with Piastri 1.4sec ahead of Verstappen. McLaren are not spread out enough to double stack effectively if and when the rain comes. 

And here it does come...

---

05:34 AM GMT

Lap 42 of 57 - Race restarts!

Verstappen on the medium tyres should have better grip in the first couple of laps than the McLarens. Norris bolts and gets a decent-sized margin between himself and Piastri in second.

Leclerc told that two laps of class three (very heavy) rain is coming in a couple of laps. Eesh. 

---

05:33 AM GMT

Lap 41 of 57 - The two Haas cars pit

Bearman comes in to the pits in his Haas to switch from the intermediates to the mediums. Ocon does the same as Bearman comes out right in the middle of the leading pack between Piastri and Verstappen.

SC in this lap and Bearman unlaps himself to get himself out of the way. The skies darken... Norris starts to back up the back before turn 11. 

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05:32 AM GMT

Lap 40 of 57 - Norris is told the opposite information

That the rain could come sooner and be heavier and more comprehensively over the track.

“So it would be better to change to the inters now,” he says. “Lando, we do not want to fit the wrong tyre for the conditions,” is the reply from Will Joseph, his rac eengineer. 

Replays show Norris locking up behind the SC at turn six. Nothing too dramatic, though.

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05:29 AM GMT

Lap 39 of 57 - There is a marshal on the side of the track

Just where Alonso’s car would have been. That does not look good. I think a few questionable decisions behind made here. Lapped cars will be let through and then we will get a rolling restart once the SC comes in. Ferrari now thinking that the rain might only skirt the circuit. 

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05:25 AM GMT

Lap 38 of 57 - Backmarker update under the SC

An woeful race and weekend for Liam Lawson at Red Bull. He is dead last on the track. That will probably change as the Haas cars have stayed out on intermediate tyres, though not sure much tread will be left on it. Alonso’s accident puts Antonelli into the points. 

Here is the bottom five: 

12. HUL
13. BOR
14. OCO
15. BEA
16. LAW

Piastri informed that there could be a small but intense rain shower for perhaps around a lap or so between lap 45 and the end of the race. It does look very wet in the distance. 

Norris informed of the same and says “that’s not ideal”. 

A recovery vehicle is finally at Fernando Alonso’s vehicle. There was a pretty sketchy moment as the SC and Norris catch up a flatbed track at turn 10. The SC goes over the run off to avoid getting close to the truck but Norris avoids that and stays behind before moving to the side. Not ideal either. 

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05:21 AM GMT

Lap 36 of 57 - Order and tyre choice under SC

1. NOR - H
2. PIA - H
3. VER - M
4. RUS - H
5. LEC - H
6. TSU - H
7. ALB - M
8. HAM - H
9. GAS - H
10. ANT - H

It was at turn six where Alonso lost it, going onto the kerb and perhaps even the gravel, losing the rear end. You don’t see mistakes like that very often from Alonso. 

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05:19 AM GMT

Lap 35 of 57 - Hard tyres for the McLarens...

...but mediums for Verstappen. A bit of a mixture but hards seem to be the preference. 

The pack closes up under the SC. 

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05:17 AM GMT

Lap 34 of 57 - Alonso crashes out!

Norris had just extended his lead to something comfortable. Alonso loses the rear end and goes sliding sideways into the wall. That is his race over and a Safety Car.

Nooo!! Fernando Alonso has crashed 😱

The Safety Car is deployed in order to recover his Aston Martin#F1#AusGPpic.twitter.com/wKbd1FU6G3

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2025

Out come the cars into the pit lane to change for tyres. Is anyone staying out? Norris comes in. Everyone will, surely.

---

05:15 AM GMT

Lap 33 of 57 - Top 10 and gaps

1. NOR
2. PIA +2.9
3. VER +17.6
4. RUS +30.6
5. LEC +36.7
6. TSU +53.0
7. ALB +54.1
8. HAM +55.2
9. GAS +57.3
10. ALO +58.1

---

05:14 AM GMT

Lap 32 of 57 - Piastri drops back

Is there a problem or have his tyres gone? Half a second he has dropped in the middle sector. He runs briefly into the gravel in turn six and is now 2.5sec behind Norris, which eases McLaren’s worries a little. 

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05:13 AM GMT

Lap 31 of 57 - More advice for Hamilton

They are coaching him on various buttons and modes. K1 being the latest he is told to press but he says he is not close enough for it be of much use. 

Piastri drops back a bit...

---

05:11 AM GMT

Lap 30 of 57 - Piastri still edges closer

Piastri told to hold position and he is closer than ever. Not sure he is going to comply here. “I think I’m faster, but okay,” he says.

McLaren tell Oscar Piastri to "hold position" behind Lando Norris... 👀

Piastri 📻: "I'm faster but OK"#F1#AusGPpic.twitter.com/peCgVqCgwM

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2025

He looks to have the pace at the moment. What McLaren don’t want to be doing at this stage, or any, is giving points away.

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05:10 AM GMT

Lap 29 of 57 - Piastri within DRS range of Norris

The home favourite looks to be the faster man at the moment and indeed for the last few laps. Zak Brown has said McLaren are free to fight and I expect they might well do that. Imagine the cheers if the overtake came... they are approaching the backmarkers. 

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05:09 AM GMT

Lap 28 of 57 - Hamilton getting a lot of advice on the radio

As you might well expect. He has said numerous times though just to leave him to it. 

---

05:06 AM GMT

Lap 27 of 57 - Not the best race, this

Plenty of crashes before we even got started but there has been very little action on a track where it is very hard to overtake. 

---

05:06 AM GMT

Lap 26 of 57 - Verstappen now 15 sec behind Norris

He is lapping similarly to Russell behind in fourth. Not many changes of position now, though Antonelli is up into 11th for Mercedes. 

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05:05 AM GMT

Lap 25 of 57 - 1.5sec the gap now

Piastri sets the fastest lap of the race as he chases his team-mate. 

---

05:03 AM GMT

Lap 24 of 57 - Light rain still falling, I think

Hamilton has a look at Albon at turn 10 but pulls out and loses a bit of time to the Williams driver. Leclerc complains that his seat is full of water, asking if there is a leakage. “Must be the water,” comes the sage reply. “Let’s add that to the words of wisdom,” Leclerc’s reply comes. 

---

05:01 AM GMT

Lap 23 of 57 - Gap out front has stabilised

1.8sec or so, Piastri still marginally the faster of the two McLarens. 

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05:00 AM GMT

Lap 22 of 57 - Top 10 and gaps

1. NOR
2. PIA +1.9
3. VER +10.7
4. RUS +19.5
5. LEC +24.1
6. TSU +32.7
7. ALB +35.1
8. HAM +35.7
9. GAS +38.0
10. ALO +40.1

McLaren close to checking out here. Hamilton complains that he has lost gear sync. Issues seems to be fixed as he closes in on Albon. 

---

04:58 AM GMT

Lap 21 of 57 - Piastri with the fastest first sector

A couple of tenths faster than Norris after being six-tenths faster than him on the last lap. Zak Brown says he does not believe any heavy rain is coming, but there might be some rain. No further action on those several SC infringements that were noted. As you were. 

---

04:57 AM GMT

Lap 20 of 57 - Norris leads Piastri by three seconds

Piastri finding some pace, it seems. Hamilton chasing down Albon for P7. 

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04:56 AM GMT

Lap 19 of 57 - Verstappen told to hold on on these tyres

He is not in contention for this race currently, having dropped back to five seconds behind Piastri. Norris is 3.1sec ahead of the Australian and in the lead. 

---

04:54 AM GMT

Lap 18 of 57 - “Yeah, my tyres are f-----,” Verstappen says

Hamilton, sill in P8, also noted for a SC infringement. Some light rain falling now. Verstappen lost three seconds to Piastri on lap 17 and that is two seconds on lap 18...

Antonelli back ahead of Hulkenberg and into 12th.  

---

04:52 AM GMT

Lap 17 of 57 - Norris has extended his lead massively

He was 1.5sec faster than Verstappen the last time around. Verstappen has his rear wing mirrors full of Oscar Piastri. I think Verstappen is struggling here... indeed he is... Verstappen goes deep and wide and touches the gravel at turn 11! You don’t see that very often.

Piastri passes Verstappen! 😱

The Red Bull driver pushes too hard and runs wide, dropping to third position#F1#AusGPpic.twitter.com/JrggVsnIzu

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2025

It’s a McLaren 1-2 again.

---

04:50 AM GMT

Lap 16 of 57 - Top 10

1. NOR
2. VER
3. PIA
4. RUS
5. LEC
6. TSU
7. ALB
8. HAM
9. GAS
10. ALO

---

04:50 AM GMT

Lap 15 of 57 - Norris sets the fastest lap of the race

He gets out of DRS range from the man behind, albeit briefly. Still just two seconds between the top three of Norris, Verstappen and Piastri. Russell is detched from that group, 10 seconds behind Piastri. 

Antonelli looks to have gone backwards again. He spins at turn four and loses the place to Hulkenberg. 

---

04:47 AM GMT

Lap 14 of 57 - Not too much overtaking so far

It is closing up in front with just 1.4sec separating the top three. 

Antonelli moves up to 11th with a move on Hulkenberg at turn 11. 

---

04:46 AM GMT

Lap 13 of 57 - Hamilton struggling with drivability

Verstappen coming under increasing pressure from behind but he himself is not a million miles (1.2sec) away from leader Norris. Norris informed that there could be some rain in the coming laps and that the risk is increasing. 

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04:44 AM GMT

Lap 12 of 57 - DRS enabled

Interesting. Oscar Piastri will be getting that on Verstappen soon. The Australian has just set the fastest lap the last time around. 

Here is the top 10 and gaps. A three-horse race at the moment. 

1. NOR
2. VER +1.0
3. PIA +1.7
4. RUS +6.7
5. LEC +9.1
6. TSU +11.1
7. ALB +13.0
8. HAM +14.0
9. GAS +16.0
10. ALO +17.5

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04:42 AM GMT

Lap 11 of 57 - Scrap that Norris edges out

How far away are we from dry tyres?

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04:41 AM GMT

Lap 10 of 57 - Verstappen closing in

I think, anyway. Norris does the fastest lap and moves to the side of the pit straight to cool his tyres. 

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04:40 AM GMT

Lap 9 of 57 - Alonso and Tsunoda noted for a SC infringement

Not sure what that is exactly. Alonso now being investigated. Tsunoda only noted so far. Verstappen puts in a better lap to break free of Piastri and get to within a second of the leader Norris. 

Ah, here we go. “The safety car incidents under investigation for Alonso and Tsunoda are for leaving more than 10 car lengths with the car in front,” writes Tom Cary from Melbourne. 

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04:38 AM GMT

Lap 8 of 57 - Race restarts!

Norris darts before the final corner but Verstappen is right on his tail! He fends off the challenge from the Red Bull, Verstappen does not think about a move and by the time they get to the fast chicane he has more to worry about behind as Piastri is focusing on his rear wing. 

Norris leads Verstappen then Piastri, Russell, Leclerc, Tsunoda, Albon, Hamilton, Gasly and Alonso rounding out the top 10. 

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04:36 AM GMT

Lap 7 of 57 - SC in this lap

Let’s get some racing. Hopefully more than a few corners this time. 

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04:34 AM GMT

Lap 6 of 57 - SC not in this lap

Doohan’s car must still be out there, because Sainz’s is not. 

Replays show that Hamilton got a decent start but had to back out a couple of times to avoid a collision. 

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04:32 AM GMT

Lap 5 of 57 - SC still goes around

Sainz’s car is clear so the drivers use the pit straight this time. SC should be in this lap assuming they do not need to clear any further debris. 

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04:30 AM GMT

Lap 4 of 57 - A few big movers

Antonelli up to 13th, though three drivers ahead of him are out, so that explains that. Hulkenberg is up to 12th, though, in the Sauber. 

Martin Brundle posits that this could be time for a red flag. The conditions are not exactly sodden (I don’t even think it is raining) but the drivers are losing it on the straights and in fairly innocuous conditions. The track is mightily slippery, though, especially on the many, many painted white lines. 

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04:27 AM GMT

Lap 3 of 57 - Leclerc on the radio

“The track is drying up quite quickly,” he says. I did say a few moments ago that Hadjar wouldn’t be the last driver in the wall. Didn’t expect two on one lap, mind you. 

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04:24 AM GMT

Williams would have been targeting a double points finish today

No such luck. Albon still in it but has lost a place to Leclerc, who has risen from seventh to fifth in the Ferrari. Hamilton still in eighth.

Carlos Sainz is in the wall and out of the Grand Prix! 😱#F1#AusGPpic.twitter.com/O5JOFt8ldO

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2025

The cars go through the pit lane to avoid getting in the way of the recovery of the Williams at the final track. 

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04:23 AM GMT

Lap 2 of 57 - Order under the SC

1. NOR
2. VER
3. PIA
4. RUS
5. LEC
6. TSU
7. ALB
8. HAM
9. GAS
10. ALO

What happened to Doohan? Just lit up the tyres on the second phase of acceleration and the rear end goes around. 

And Carlos Sainz is in the wall at the final corner, too! Oh wow. Under the SC too? He is out of the race after losing the rear end putting his foot down. “I had like a massive torque surge,” he says. 

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04:21 AM GMT

THE 2025 AUSTRALIAN GP IS GO!

It’s a good start from Verstappen in third... can he get ahead of either of the McLaren drivers? Not at turn one as he goes outside but he does so before turn three, leaping ahead of Piastri! Norris has opened up a bit of a gap ahead of Verstappen...

Yellow flags! And the Safety Car! Doohan is in the wall with no rear wing in the second sector, I think. Oh dear. Another nightmare start for the rookie. And an Aussie, too.

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04:19 AM GMT

Right, let’s try this again...

No cars in the barriers on the second formation lap, thankfully. Can’t say that will be the case after the end of the first racing lap. It has dried up a little since then but more rain could be on the way...

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04:18 AM GMT

Repairs for Stroll in that little period

We’re hearing from Aston Martin that there was some damage to the rear flap on Lance Stroll’s car. Now repaired under FIA supervision.

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04:16 AM GMT

The (second) formation lap is under way

We will lose a lap from the race distance, this second formation lap coming off the total of 57 laps that were scheduled.

Anyway, another record turnout, as confirmed by F1: 

“The official attendance for race day is 131,547. The total estimated attendance for the weekend is 465,498, which is the highest on record in Melbourne, and is higher than the last year’s total (which was a then-record) by 13,443.”

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04:12 AM GMT

A shame for impressive Hadjar

What a shame for Isack. He was one of the rookies who had actually impressed this week. And he was so excited to be making his F1 debut, saying he could not stop giving his hero Lewis Hamilton handshakes whenever they bumped into each other. Interesting that it is Lewis’ dad Anthony who is on hand to give the French-Algerian a consoling arm around the shoulder as he arrives back in the paddock, clearly in tears beneath his helmet.

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04:10 AM GMT

Hadjar walking back into the paddock

Under the glare of many lenses. Anthony Hamilton, Lewis’s father, takes a moment to mutter a consoling word or two in his ear. Tough for Hadjar, he qualified so well yesterday, just missing out on the top 10. I doubt he will be the last driver in the barriers today...

Anthony Hamilton with his arm around a dejected Isack Hadjar 🥺#F1#AusGPpic.twitter.com/YxuUpljVcw

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2025

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04:06 AM GMT

Next formation lap at 4.15am GMT

Hadjar looks to be in tears at the side of the track. He just put too much power into the rear tyres and lost the rear end at turn two.

Heartbreaking for Isack 😩 His debut race ends before it even begins

The race start is also aborted to recover his stricken car#F1#AusGPpic.twitter.com/deugOaTJRe

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2025

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04:02 AM GMT

The formation lap is under way... but we have yellow flags!

Hadjar is in the wall already! So that will be an aborted start I believe. He has gone backwards into the barriers and what would have been his F1 debut turns out not to be, in the end. His rear wing is damaged and that is that...

Isack Hadjar has made contact with the wall at Turn 2 😦#F1#AusGPpic.twitter.com/avk1A0GtGC

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2025

Can’t imagine how he is feeling now. Frustrated, embarrassed. 

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04:00 AM GMT

The formation lap is nearly under way

Lance Stroll is actually on the full wet tyres in the Aston Martin. He is the only one.

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03:58 AM GMT

No word if it’s a safety car or standing start

I think it looks good enough for a standing start, in fairness. Everyone lining up on the intermediate tyres. It doesn’t actually appear to be raining at the moment. The safety car has left the grid which suggests a standing start. Good.

Grid felt even more packed than usual for a first race, not least because of all the umbrellas/marquees/celebs. At least being huddled together meant it was warmer – it’s 15C and windy as well as wet. Grabbed a word with Mercedes F1 co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe who looked like a man in need of a holiday after doing a serious media shift on Man Utd earlier this week. He said he was staying out here for a bit after this race.

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03:54 AM GMT

Australian GP - final starting grid

1. NOR 2. PIA 
3. VER 4. RUS 
5. TSU 6. ALB 
7. LEC 8. HAM 
9. GAS 10. SAI 
11. HAD 12. ALO 
13. STR 14. DOO 
15. BOR 16. ANT 
17. HUL 18. OCO 

PIT-LANE: BEA, LAW

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03:47 AM GMT

Albon speaks about the conditions

Feels sketchy out there, so let’s see. I am always surprised how little grip we have on these tyres... every white line being a street track you feel it... even on the straights the thing is sliding around a lot.

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03:43 AM GMT

F1 grid for 2025

Six full-season rookies and three who are making their grands prix debuts this weekend. Isack Hadjar was probably not rated as the best of them but managed to come out on top in qualifying ahead of Doohan (13th), Bortoleto (15th), Antonelli (16th), Lawson (18th) and Bearman (20th). 

Of that lot you would say that Doohan and Bortoleto should be pleased. A great job by the latter to out-qualify Nico Hulkenberg. 

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03:38 AM GMT

Raw pace ranking after one round

This essentially tells you how fast each car is in qualifying by taking the team’s fastest lap of qualifying and comparing it to the overall fastest (Norris’s pole time) and expressing it as a percentage. So, Norris’s pole would be 100.000 per cent.

On a theoretical 100-second pole position lap, a lap time of 1min41sec would be a one per cent difference and 1min42sec a two per cent difference and so on. Anyway, that is how the teams stacked up after yesterday.

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03:34 AM GMT

Bearman having a weekend to forget

Bearman raced one weekend for Ferrari and then another two for Haas in 2024 as a stand-in. He impressed in all of them to varying degrees, despite a crash-strewn Brazilian race. Unfortunately he is having a nightmare weekend in Melbourne. 

Firstly he crashed out of FP1 on Friday which meant that he missed the entirety of FP2. And then he spun out at the beginning of FP3 (below) missing further critical track time. Then a gearbox issue stopped him from getting even a handful of laps in during Q1. 

Not the start to FP3 Ollie Bearman needed 😔

He finds himself beached in the gravel ❌ pic.twitter.com/Kopm9Ts12u

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 15, 2025

I would imagine Haas are going to send him out with the target of merely getting to the end of the race today and worrying about nothing else. He will start from the pit lane today, as will Liam Lawson, who has changed the rear beam wing on his Red Bull. Well, he didn’t do it but you know what I mean. He was due to start eighth. 

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03:30 AM GMT

Ocon locks up at turn six on his lap to the grid

He goes straight on but into a run-off area rather than the gravel or a wall. He gets back fine. Lando Norris has gone out on intermediate tyres to test the conditions and see which tyre is best. 

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03:27 AM GMT

What Hamilton said after qualifying

“I generally feel good. I had a really good time out there today. Everything has been a first this weekend. It’s been a lot of work to really adapt to this car. There is so much different here to what I have experienced in the past. I didn’t know that we would be nine tenths off or eight tenths off today but there is a lot to dissect. 

“Charles has been in this team for seven years, he knows this car in and out... and all the tools. I am still learning, to be that close in my first qualifying session I would definitely take it. Tomorrow is going to be a challenge, I have never driven this car in the rain. I don’t even know the rain settings, so I have got to go and study that tonight.”

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03:23 AM GMT

The pit lane is open!

Most drivers are going out on wet tyres but Lewis Hamilton is on intermediate tyres. Interesting. And not especially cautious. Hamilton gets a good practice start in the pit lane. Of course, this is not to say that those drivers will stay on the wet tyres, rather you don’t want to bin it before you even get to the grid. 

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03:21 AM GMT

Was it as bad as it looked for Ferrari?

Clearly, given how strongly the team finished 2024 there would have been high hopes at the start of this year. Seventh and eighth is not where they would have expected to be, even on a bad day. However, their true one-lap pace is a good chunk better than that. 

If we take each driver’s best three sector times and combine them to create a theoretical fastest lap of the session, Hamilton would have qualified fifth behind the McLarens, Verstappen and Russell but ahead of Leclerc. OK, not pulling up any trees but the lap time would have been more like 0.38sec behind the pole time rather than 0.87 as he was. In short, he left nearly half a second out there. 

Two further observations from that. Firstly, qualifying was where Hamilton struggled last year. It is too early to suggest that will continue this year but this is not the best start. Secondly, there is clearly something else leading to his failure to string a lap together. Leclerc only dropped less than a tenth of a second between his actual and theoretical best, though. 

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03:18 AM GMT

Not only is it raining at Albert Park

It looks terribly windy. Martin Brundle looks in danger of having his umbrella invert as he speaks on the grid. 

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03:13 AM GMT

Times and positions after qualifying

1. Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1min 15.096secs
2. Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:15.180
3. Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:15.481
4. George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:15.546
5. Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team 1:15.670
6. Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:15.737
7. Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:15.75
8. Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Ferrari 1:15.973
9. Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:15.980
10. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Williams 1:16.062
11. Isack Hadjar (Fra) Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team 1:16.175
12. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:16.453
13. Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:16.483
14. Jack Doohan (Aus) Alpine 1:16.863
15. Gabriel Bortoleto (Bra) Kick Sauber 1:17.520
16. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Ita) Mercedes GP 1:16.525
17. Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Kick Sauber 1:16.579
18. Liam Lawson (Nzl) Red Bull 1:17.094
19. Esteban Ocon (Fra) Haas F1 1:17.147

NO TIME: Oliver Bearman (Gbr) Haas

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03:04 AM GMT

Weather update...

Yes, it is raining. Nothing torrential by the looks of it but damp enough. From the weather forecast that I am looking at, there does not appear to be a significant clear period for the rest of the day.

Let’s hope we manage to get a race in. I think we will. That said, the F2 feature race was cancelled earlier today...

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02:58 AM GMT

Good morning F1 fans

Welcome to our live coverage of the season-opening 2025 Australian Grand Prix from Albert Park in Melbourne. After all the waiting, we finally got to see what every driver and team could deliver at full pelt in qualifying yesterday. Some of the results were not surprising, yet others were. 

In the end, it was McLaren who delivered a front-row lockout and under some pressure. Lando Norris was the man who found enough time to claim a 10th career pole, less than a tenth ahead of his team-mate Oscar Piastri. Both men made mistakes on their first flying laps in Q3, so simply had to deliver under pressure. And they did. 

Defending champion Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull, which was something of a surprise given Red Bull’s form up until this point. He was, though, fairly distant – more than three tenths behind the lead McLaren. George Russell seemed pretty happy with his fourth given how poor Mercedes were on the soft tyres on Friday. 

What about Ferrari? Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at the team has made this one of the most hotly-anticipated seasons in F1 history. Yet both he and his team-mate Charles Leclerc were not only behind two McLarens, one Red Bull and one Mercedes but also a Williams and a Racing Bull. The gap to the front was large, too. Leclerc nearly 0.7sec and Hamilton almost 0.9sec off Norris’s ultimate time. This is obviously not the limit of the car, but however you package it, it is a rude awakening. Still, Hamilton was within two tenths of his team-mate, which is something. 

There will be cheer for some of the midfield teams, too, with Williams (Alexander Albon in sixth and Carlos Sainz in 10th) showing improvement last year. Racing Bulls just missed out on a double top-10 yesterday with debutant Isack Hadjar in 11th, but Yuki Tsunoda’s fifth place is mightily impressive. Alpine ended last season strongly so perhaps no surprise that Pierre Gasly made it into the top 10, either. 

Anyway, there is some rain about today and we have a little over an hour to wait until we get going. We will be here for all of the build-up, live reaction and latest updates from Albert Park. 

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