'Copybook victory as Norris and McLaren come through chaos unscathed'

McLaren's Lando Norris holds the winner's trophy for the Australian Grand Prix — Lando Norris' four previous F1 wins had come in dry races [EPA]

Lando Norris and McLaren delivered on their potential with a copybook victory in a demanding Australian Grand Prix in the most difficult of conditions to put their stamp on the start of the new season.

Briton Norris described his win as "stressful but rewarding".

The first adjective was justified by the conditions in a madcap, crash-strewn, incident-packed race where one small error can spell disaster - as it very nearly did for Norris himself at one point.

The second adjective was a recognition of the fact that this was exactly the kind of race in which, last year, McLaren had proved less than perfect, and thrown away at least one potential victory, and perhaps another, too.

But in Melbourne they were as perfect as it is possible to be in conditions such as these - even the renowned rain-master Max Verstappen slipped up at one point. And Norris and McLaren came through the chaos unscathed.

The fine line between victory and defeat was underlined by an incident with 13 laps to go that defined the race.

Norris was leading from team-mate Oscar Piastri and Verstappen as a heavy shower of rain approached the track.

It hit as the leaders were negotiating the final corners on lap 44, with 13 to go.

Both McLarens ran wide on to the gravel at the exit of Turn 12, and Australian Piastri then spun through Turn 13.

Norris was able to continue without losing too much time, but Piastri ended up on the grass on the outside of Turn 12, where he sat with his wheels spinning helplessly for what seemed like an age as his hopes of victory at home evaporated before finally rejoining. He fought back to ninth by the end.

Norris immediately pitted for treaded tyres. That decision won him the race, and demonstrated how far he and the team had come since last year - they had planned that they would pit as soon as it rained, and acted decisively on the plan.

Verstappen stayed out and took the lead, but as the rain intensified he lost more time, and Norris resumed the lead when the Dutchman pitted himself two laps later.

Norris said: "It's so easy to make a mistake, so easy to ruin everything. So quickly it can all have gone wrong within a second.

"Any second of the race, you lock up, you hit the white line wrong, you have a big snap. It was just very, very difficult at times to just not go into a hole or a tyre barrier somewhere.

"That's a big enough challenge, but then when you've got the weather changing and the track conditions changing, knowing when to make the correct decision to change on to a slick tyre and stay out on the inter-tyre, and then even more when I've got Max behind me and Oscar behind me, it's stressful.

"But that's what makes it rewarding.

"We worked a lot over the winter to prepare for a race like this, because it's where we threw away a lot of opportunities last season - Canada, Silverstone, where we were not the best at preparing and knowing how decisive we've got to be.

"Today we were very, very decisive, calling to box five metres before I boxed. But it was the right call in the end, and that won us the race."

The race was not over, though.

In the final five laps after the final restart, Norris had Verstappen right behind him. The McLaren was hampered by significant floor damage - incurred either in the previously mentioned off, or in another in those final laps at Turn Six - but he hung on, despite Verstappen being less than a second behind, and having use of the DRS overtaking aid.

The 25-year-old Norris, for whom last season was his first fighting consistently at the front, underlined his inexperience when he said: "That situation was new for me. I've not ever led a race with five laps to go with Max behind me, trying to put me under pressure, and in these conditions.

"Maybe Max has had that a few times in his race against Lewis (Hamilton) a lot, and he can just deal with that probably better than I can.

"I'm happy I got through it and stayed calm. It's something I improved from last year."

McLaren's performance was as expected. They were the quickest car all weekend and delivered on a status as favourites that Norris acknowledged both before and after the race was justified.

They earned it in pre-season testing, but Norris said that, while the long run in Bahrain two weeks ago had demonstrated their strong pace, the car was not necessarily as good as some felt it looked there.

The job, he emphasised, was only just beginning, and not all races would be like this.

"The car's flying," Norris said. "But we're going to have races where we are going to struggle.

"[If] we race in Bahrain as round one, I wouldn't be confident that we could win the race.

"But I'm confident that we're going to, say, China next weekend, and we can be very, very strong, because we were strong there last year, with not a very good car."

In the post-race news conference, with Verstappen and Mercedes' George Russell either side of him, Norris also pointed out that he felt that Piastri's presence alongside him was partly responsible for McLaren's strong weekend, making a pointed reference to the rookie team-mates of his rivals.

"Let's allow a few more races to take place before we start making any (predictions), but we're the favourites, we are the team to beat, mainly because we have two drivers up there pushing each other," he said.

"That helps. Do I think me and Oscar working together yesterday, in terms of pushing one another, allowed us to get one and a half, one 10th more than the two drivers here, because their team-mates aren't as equipped and as experienced? Yes."

Verstappen and Russell, meanwhile, were talking as if they know that McLaren will take some beating.

Verstappen was reflecting on the fact that he lost 15 seconds to the McLarens over the first stint as the track dried.

"As the tyres started to overheat we had no chance," he said. "Yet basically McLaren just took off.

"We still have a lot of work to do to fight for a win, but I'm very happy that we are second here. It's basically one place better than we should have been. We'll do our best."

Russell added: "They look pretty good and groovy at the moment, so we'll see."

McLaren's Lando Norris celebrating his win with the McLaren team — Lando Norris is leading the drivers' championship for the first time in his career [Getty Images]

'This guy's mega' - how Norris developed into world title contender

Topics

'Copybook victory as Norris and McLaren come through chaos unscathed'

Lando Norris and McLaren were as perfect as it is possible to be in very testing conditions as they won the Australian Grand Prix, writes Andrew Benson.
BBC News - 6h
Norris leads McLaren 1-2 in Melbourne qualifying

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri delivered on McLaren's preseason promise by locking out the front row of the grid for Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
ESPN - 1d
Norris' narrow Australian GP win over Verstappen belies McLaren dominance

Lando Norris won by just 0.8 second in Australia, but McLaren is a class apart from the F1 field.
ESPN - 3h
‘We are favourites’: McLaren are ‘team to beat’ in F1 title race, admits Lando Norris

British driver won Australian Grand Prix in season opener Norris wary of complacency: ‘if you relax, you have failed’ Britain’s Lando Norris believes he and his McLaren team are now favourites ...
The Guardian - 4h
Australian Grand Prix chaos: Formation lap crash to Ferrari mistake

The first race of the 2025 Formula One season delivered on the significant pre-season hype. Lando Norris emerged victorious in the rain to take victory in a dramatic and crash-strewn Australian ...
Yahoo Sports - 7h
'No Hamilton fairytale as Norris and McLaren deliver on potential'

Lewis Hamilton's first qualifying session for Ferrari was perfectly decent but it was a sobering start to the season for his new team, says Andrew Benson.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
'No Hamilton fairytale as Norris and McLaren deliver on potential'

Lewis Hamilton's first qualifying session for Ferrari was perfectly decent but it was a sobering start to the season for his new team, says Andrew Benson.
BBC News - 1d
Lando Norris wins F1 Australian Grand Prix ahead of Max Verstappen – as it happened

McLaren driver holds off challenge from the defending driver’s champion in treacherous conditions in Melbourne. Some interesting developments coming out of Albert Park as the cars get a first look ...
The Guardian - 11h
This Wall Street pro saw the stock-market chaos coming. He says investors should wait to buy again.

When Wall Street strategists were cheering on President Trump’s electoral victory and projecting another rosy year for U.S. stocks, J.P. Morgan’s Michael Cembalest was taking a decidedly different ...
MarketWatch - 1d
Lando Norris snatches pole for Australian GP – as Lewis Hamilton receives Ferrari reality check

McLaren driver Norris disappointed home fans by taking pole away from home hero Oscar Piastri late on
Yahoo Sports - 1d
McLaren’s Lando Norris edges Piastri to claim pole for F1 Australian Grand Prix

Norris beat teammate by eight-hundredths of a second Max Verstappen third, Lewis Hamilton eighth in Ferrari When the gloves finally came off for the very first competitive session of the new ...
The Guardian - 1d
Lando Norris takes pole but ‘learning curve’ continues for Lewis Hamilton in eighth

Lando Norris said he was “not getting ahead” of himself, despite making the perfect start to the new Formula One season in Melbourne. The McLaren driver topped all three qualifying sessions to grab ...
Yahoo Sports - 1d
'This guy's mega' - how Lando Norris was slowly developed into F1 title contender

Lando Norris has long seemed destined for the very top of motorsport, as key figures who worked with him through the junior categories tell BBC Sport.
BBC News - 4d
NCAA Frozen Four Set As Top Four Teams Enter Unscathed

The NCAA women's hockey Frozen Four is set with the nation's top four ranked teams advancing through closely contested quarter-final games. In the end Wisconsin, Ohio State, Cornell, and Minnesota ...
Yahoo Sports - 11h
Lando Norris delivers note-perfect performance at drenched Australian Grand Prix

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 ...
Yahoo Sports - 6h
Leclerc fastest in Melbourne with Hamilton fifth

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc heads the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in Friday practice at the Australian Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton in fifth.
Yahoo Sports - 2d
Hamilton fifth in Melbourne with Leclerc fastest

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc heads the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in Friday practice at the Australian Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton in fifth.
BBC News - 2d
Norris Misses Practice, Being Evaluated For Unspecified Injury

The Buffalo Sabres practiced at Key Bank Center on Friday in preparation for taking on Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday afternoon. The Sabres are coming off a 7-3 loss to the ...
Yahoo Sports - 1d
Chaos at the V.A.: Inside the DOGE Cuts Disrupting the Veterans Agency

Clinical trials have been delayed, contracts canceled and support staff fired. With deeper cuts coming, some are warning of potential harms to veterans.
The New York Times - Mar. 9
Holi 2025: India comes alive with the festival of colours

The festival, celebrated in India and abroad, commemorates the victory of good over evil.
BBC News - 2d
Chelsea’s victory over FC Copenhagen win fails to lift Stamford Bridge mood

Chelsea are through to the Europa Conference League quarter-finals, but their performance against FC Copenhagen did little to silence doubts about Enzo Maresca’s approach.A 1-0 victory at Stamford ...
Yahoo Sports - 2d
Formula One: Australian Grand Prix qualifying – live

Updates from the F1 GP season opener in Melbourne McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will start 1-2 Any thoughts? Email Joey Will plug this a few times over the weekend as the season ...
The Guardian - 1d
F1 2025 season: Calendar, driver lineups, sprints and testing

The 2025 Formula One season is under way, with qualifying for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix completed. Lando Norris took pole ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri. Defending champion Max ...
Yahoo Sports - 1d
RCTC women's basketball team powers through to win national quarterfinal

Mar. 13—ROCHESTER — It wasn't the prettiest victory the RCTC women's basketball team has had this season, but sometimes tournament time is about nothing more than surviving and advancing. That's ...
Yahoo Sports - 2d
Asensio scores again as Aston Villa reach quarter-finals

Watch highlights as Marco Asensio comes off the bench to grab his sixth and seventh goals in eight Aston Villa appearances to secure a 3-0 victory against Club Brugge and send the 1982 winners ...
BBC News - 3d
India’s Champions Trophy title comes with an unnecessary asterisk

Comfortably the finest white-ball international side in the world are now reigning champions in two of the three global tournaments. India’s four-wicket victory over New Zealand in Dubai ...
Yahoo Sports - 6d
Cthulhu Keeper Revitalizes Classic PC Game Genres Through A Lovecraftian Lens

Some hardcore PC game genres have had a renaissance in recent years. Baldur's Gate 3 reinvigorated love for the CPRG, while Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 tapped into a communal love for hardcore ...
GameSpot - 5d
Formula One 2025: team-by-team guide to the cars and drivers

Verstappen is under pressure from a revitalised Hamilton at Ferrari with McLaren’s Norris set to challenge from the off. Car MCL39 Engine Mercedes Principal Andrea Stella Debut Monaco 1966 ...
The Guardian - 3d
McLaren dominates first F1 qualifying of the season at Australian GP as Lewis Hamilton finishes eighth in Ferrari debut

McLaren finished with an impressive one-two in the first Formula 1 qualifying event of the 2025 season at the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
Fetterman: Shutdown would ‘plunge the country into chaos, risk a recession’

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said he believes a government shutdown would plunge the United States “into chaos” and risk sending the country into a recession. “Shut the government down, plunge the ...
The Hill - 3d
Norris takes Melbourne pole with Hamilton eighth

Lando Norris secures pole position for the Australian Grand Prix, while Lewis Hamilton is eighth on his Ferrari debut.
BBC News - 1d
Players live updates: Final-round tee times, how to watch, leaderboard at TPC Sawgrass

Someone could have a life-changing victory come Sunday.
Yahoo Sports - 6h
Formula 1: Lando Norris wins wet Australian Grand Prix to open the 2025 season

Norris won from the pole. But it was hardly a straightforward win.
Yahoo Sports - 12h
CFPB official details DOGE ‘chaos’ in overtaking agency

A top official at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) gave an inside account of the “chaos” and “confusion” that overtook the agency when the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ...
The Hill - 5d
FragPunk Battle Pass Season 1 - All Skins, Emotes, And Rewards

FragPunk , NetEase's new 5v5 tactical hero shooter, has launched on PC with consoles coming later . The new shooter combines the tactical setup of Valorant with some chaos thanks to its Shard Card ...
GameSpot - Mar. 7
Boulter and Norrie knocked out of Indian Wells

There are only two Britons left in Indian Wells after Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie suffer straight-set defeats in the third round.
BBC News - 6d
Norris beats Verstappen in dramatic Australia GP opener

Lando Norris masters treacherous, changing conditions in a dramatic, incident-packed race to beat Max Verstappen and win the Australian Grand Prix.
BBC News - 9h
Norris holds off Verstappen in dramatic Aus GP

Preseason favourite Lando Norris overcame Max Verstappen, changing weather, a trip across the grass and three safety car periods to win a frenzied Australian Grand Prix.
ESPN - 2h
F1 Australian GP: Norris fastest in FP1 as Bearman crashes

Lando Norris leads first practice at the Australian GP from Carlos Sainz, as Oliver Bearman crashes
Yahoo Sports - 2d