Seven-time champ Lewis Hamilton finished 10th on his much-awaited Ferrari debut at the Australian Grand Prix. Lando Norris of McLaren bested Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to win the rain-marred Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Norris, who began the wet race from pole position, was initially under threat by teammate Oscar Piastri, who posted the initial fastest laps. That was until the Australian fell to the might of the rain, spinning out and heading down the order on the 44th lap.
Australian Grand Prix 2025 From the opening F1 race at Australian Grand Prix 2025 | Reuters
Verstappen finished just 0.895 of a second apart from Norris in a nerve-wracking final lap. George Russell of Mercedes grabbed the third position in the Melbourne race, riddled with safety cars and stops during the final few laps.
Chaos ensued from the start of the race, with Isack Hadjar of Racing Bull coming out on the formation lap, and Jack Doohan of Alpine and Carlos Sainz of Williams crashing out in the maiden lap. With the 34th lap, Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin fell off the race when he hit the barriers on the eighth turn. More barriers awaited Liam Lawson of Red Bull and Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber later in the race—cutting the finishers to just 14 in number.
All the F1 drivers of the 2025 Grand Prix season The F1 drivers pose for a group photo at the start of the 2025 Grand Prix season | AP
The wet Albert Park circuit was brutal, signalling yet another exciting start of the F1 season. On Saturday’s pole position determiner run, Hamilton qualified eighth while Norris took the top spot, stating, “Not a bad way to start the year, thanks everyone.” Norris seems to have kept his word during Sunday with an impressive performance in Sunday’s opening race.
F1 World Championship 2025 Results: Australian Grand Prix
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Max Verstappen (Oracle Red Bull Racing)
3. George Russell (Mercedes-AMG Petronas)
4. Alexander Albon (Williams Racing)
5. Andrea Kimi (Mercedes-AMG Petronas)
6. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin Aramco)
7. Nico Hlkenberg (Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber)
8. Charles Leclerc (Scuderia Ferrari HP)
9. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
10. Lewis Hamilton (Scuderia Ferrari HP)
11. Pierre Gasly (BWT Alpine)
12. Yuki Tsunoda (Visa Cash App Racing Bulls)
13. Esteban Ocon (MoneyGram Haas)
14. Oliver Bearman (MoneyGram Haas)
Retired from race:
Gabriel Bortoleto (Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber)
Jack Doohan (BWT Alpine)
Carlos Sainz Jr. (Williams Racing)
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin Aramco)
Liam Lawson (Oracle Red Bull Racing)
Isack Hadjar (Visa Cash App Racing Bulls)