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Lewis Hamilton endured a disappointing debut with Ferrari as Lando Norris claimed victory in Melbourne.

Lando Norris survived three restarts and ever-changing rain intensity to claim victory at the Australian Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen, with George Russell securing third place.

Only 14 of the 20 drivers managed to complete the chaotic race, with numerous crashes and slippery conditions making it a test of skill and strategy.

Norris, the pre-season title favourite, dominated much of the 58-lap contest at Albert Park, showcasing McLaren’s qualifying supremacy.

 However, his win appeared in doubt in the final 15 laps when rain returned, triggering a fresh wave of incidents.

Both McLaren drivers momentarily slid off track, but while Norris recovered swiftly and pitted for intermediate tyres, home favourite Oscar Piastri spun into the grass, losing significant time before finishing ninth.

Verstappen, who initially overtook Piastri on the first lap but lost ground due to an error, briefly inherited the lead. 

However, he too was forced to pit for intermediates as the downpour worsened.

 A late-race Safety Car restart saw the relentless Dutchman chasing Norris, but even the defending world champion couldn’t find a way past, ending his 63-race streak as the championship leader dating back to mid-2022.

Russell took third for Mercedes, securing a podium finish that had seemed unlikely for most of the race.

 His rookie teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli initially finished fourth but was demoted to fifth due to a five-second penalty for an unsafe pit release, allowing Alex Albon to take the position in the much-improved Williams team.

Hamilton struggles in Ferrari debut

Lewis Hamilton’s first race in Ferrari red proved to be a difficult affair, with the seven-time champion finishing in 10th place—the final points-paying position.

For much of the race, Hamilton ran in his qualifying position of eighth, engaging in lengthy radio discussions with his new race engineer, Riccardo Adami, about communication timing.

The seven-time champion briefly found himself leading when Ferrari opted to keep their cars on slicks as rain intensified, while others pitted for intermediates.

Hamilton was running second behind Norris under the Safety Car, but Ferrari’s misjudgment on pit stop timing proved very costly. 

Once the race resumed, both Ferraris had to pit, forcing Hamilton to drop further down the order.

Reflecting on his debut for the Scuderia, Hamilton said:

 “It was very tricky and went a lot worse than I thought it would go,” per Sky Sports.

“The car was really, really hard to drive today. For me, I’m just grateful I kept it out of the wall because that’s where it wanted to go most of the time.”

F1: 2025 Australian Grand Prix Results

1, Lando Norris (McLaren)

2, Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) +0.895s

3, George Russell (Mercedes) +8.481s

4, Alexander Albon (Williams) +12.773s

5, Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +15.135s

6, Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +17.413s

6, Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +18.423s

8, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +19.826s

9, Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +20.448s

10, Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +22.473s

11, Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +26.502s

12, Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) +29.884s

13, Esteban Ocon (Haas F1 Team) +33.161s

14, Oliver Bearman (Haas F1 Team) +40.351s