McLaren has ominous pace, Lewis Hamilton has work to do: 5 takeaways from F1's season-opener

Lando Norris heads to the second round of the Formula 1 season in China with a lead over champion Max Verstappen after winning a thrilling race in Australia.

Ahead of Sunday's race in Shanghai, here are five takeaways from the season-opening Australian Grand Prix:

McLaren is the team to beat

Without the rain and the safety car, the Australian Grand Prix might not have been much of a contest. The two McLarens of Norris and Oscar Piastri quickly built a lead of more than 15 seconds to Verstappen in third early in the race. The McLarens were also three-tenths of a second faster than anyone else in qualifying. So much for preseason predictions that this year could be exceptionally close between multiple teams.

Norris acknowledged McLaren are favorites but warned the team shouldn't get complacent. “If you start thinking things are good and groovy, that’s when you get caught,” he said. “We will have races where we struggle.”

Hamilton and Ferrari have work to do

Lewis Hamilton briefly led on his Ferrari debut. Unfortunately for the seven-time champion, a strategy blunder meant Ferrari left Hamilton and his new teammate Charles Leclerc on dry tires in increasingly heavy rain. “Missed a big opportunity,” Hamilton told Ferrari over the radio. Hamilton finished 10th, two places behind Leclerc.

Hamilton and Ferrari may need to work on their communication. After more than a decade working with Peter “Bono” Bonnington at Mercedes, Hamilton was frustrated at regular radio updates from his new engineer Riccardo Adami. “Leave me to it, please,” he said repeatedly.

Lawson's old teammate may be his closest rival

No one expected Liam Lawson, in his 12th career F1 race, to beat his four-time champion teammate Verstappen. However, Lawson also underperformed compared to Yuki Tsunoda, his old teammate, after being picked over Tsunoda for the Red Bull seat. Lawson qualified 18th and made little progress before crashing out. Tsunoda qualified fifth and was competitive, though a team strategy error meant he finished 12th. If Lawson doesn't improve, Red Bull could face even more scrutiny of its decision to pick him.

Antonelli is the standout rookie

Formula 1's biggest rookie class in years struggled — with one big exception. The 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli became the second-youngest driver ever to score F1 points, behind only Verstappen, as he finished fourth with a strong drive from 16th.

Of the other drivers starting their first full F1 seasons, Lawson, Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto and Alpine's Jack Doohan crashed out, Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar crashed before the start and Haas' Oliver Bearman was the last finisher in 14th.

Teamwork helps Williams make its mark

Alex Albon benefited from his new teammate as he finished fifth for Williams' best result since 2021. Carlos Sainz, Jr. crashed out early but joined the team staff on the pit wall to offer Albon advice over the radio on how best to handle the rapidly changing weather. “We’re a very bonded team,” Albon said.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

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