In a tense, incident-packed race, Lando Norris defeated Max Verstappen and won the Australian Grand Prix.
Norris and his McLaren team made the right decisions in a race marred by crashes, three safety cars, and an aborted start, as the Briton delivered a statement drive at the start of a season in which he hopes to win the world championship.
Norris had to fend off a late challenge from Verstappen, who was pushed back into contention by a late safety car, but he hung on to win his fifth career race.
Lewis Hamilton finished 10th on a challenging day for Ferrari, with old teammate George Russell third for Mercedes in Melbourne.
In a tense, incident-packed race, Lando Norris defeated Max Verstappen and won the Australian Grand Prix.
Norris and his McLaren team made the right decisions in a race marred by crashes, three safety cars, and an aborted start, as the Briton delivered a statement drive at the start of a season in which he hopes to win the world championship.
Norris had to fend off a late challenge from Verstappen, who was pushed back into contention by a late safety car, but he hung on to win his fifth career race.
Lewis Hamilton, making his Ferrari debut, finished tenth on a challenging day for the team, with George Russell third for Mercedes in Melbourne.
Hamilton, the seven-time champion, was leading on lap 46.
McLaren acknowledged that Verstappen would be a huge threat since he is so good in wet conditions, but Norris and Piastri controlled the race from the start and were able to keep the four-time champion behind them for much of the race while havoc unfurled behind them.
The action began even before the race started, when rookie Isack Hadjar spun his Racing Bull car at Turn Two during the formation lap. The Frenchman stood with his head in his hands, clearly crying, before returning to the pits.
After a 15-minute delay, the race eventually got under way, but another rookie, Australian Jack Doohan, crashed his Alpine on the straight between Turns Four and Six, bringing out the safety
When the race finally got properly under way, Norris led but Verstappen passed Piastri to run second, only to lose the position when he ran wide at Turn 11 on lap 17, gifting McLaren a one-two.
The McLarens first stablished their position and then, as they looked after their intermediate tyres more effectively than the Red Bull, built a lead running nose to tail. They pulled 16 seconds on Verstappen by the time the safety car came out for a second time following a crash by Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin at Turn Six on lap 33, just after half distance.
The leaders pitted for slick tyres but there was fresh jeopardy as they waited for the restart – a rain shower was coming in,
Both McLaren spun in the penultimate corner. Norris was able to rejoin and dive into the pits for intermediate tyres, while Piastri remained trapped on the grass. There was a sense of grim comedy as he sat on the grass, his tyres spinning violently, before eventually reversing back onto the track.
Verstappen stayed out and led for two laps until being forced to stop due to the weather.
This was when Ferrari made their tragic mistake, leaving Hamilton and Leclerc out to take first and second place, only to lose them quickly as they fought for grip for a lap and had to pit regardless.
Liam Lawson crashed his Red Bull, resulting in a dismal finale.
