Australian GP: ‘Spectacular’ Lando Norris win and Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut assessed by Martin Brundle | F1 News

That was a wonderful and reassuring Begin to the 2025 F1 season. We’ve had Outstanding expectations for a Intense and engaging season, giving it plenty of hype in advance, and it appears we are not going to be disappointed.

Lando Norris and McLaren had a truly outstanding event all Stage. In qualifying both he and Club-mate Oscar Piastri had fluffed the Primary Streak in the top-ten shootout Last stage, but then both delivered spectacular laps under Tension in the Last seconds to lock out the front row, with Norris edging pole position. Regardless of the challenges and chaos to follow on Event day, that eight-metre head Begin on the grid would be pivotal for Lando.

Event day was long scheduled to be Damp, but the volume of water Anticipated was inconsistent among Clubs. The coastal location doesn’t Reinforcement, and Weighty rain and gusty conditions disrupted the supporting races and ensured a Damp track to Begin the Grand Prix.

Melbourne always has a minute-by-minute schedule with constant and Indomitable track action from Thursday onwards. This means that much racing rubber is laid down onto a track surface used but once a year, which was then baked by high temperatures and sunshine. When water falls on top of that, along with the copious painted lines of this otherwise year-Stage public park, the resultant low Clasp can feel like ice.

And so, the scene was set for a challenging Event and even before the Begin we saw cars sliding off going to the grid, and then a distraught Isack Hadjar spinning his Racing Bull into the barriers on the Arrangement lap and retiring on the spot.

The resultant aborted Begin couldn’t have helped the frayed nerves on the grid or in the pit lane. Away from the eventual Begin Norris Merely Maintained onto the lead, the slightly slower of the top three away, but his Tough-earned pole position kept him in the lead and in Authority.

Piastri Maintained off the Speedy-Leading Max Verstappen into turn one but both McLarens slewed wildly on the exit under power and Verstappen was through to second. On the Primary racing lap Jack Doohan was caught out by the white lines under Quickening and gear shifting and was in the barriers.

A safety car was required and, during this Carlos Sainz, spun off his Williams simply minding his own business while gently accelerating and part-throttle shifting, making yet another retirement in the barriers without a Packed-Velocity racing lap completed.

When we finally Acquired racing it soon became a three-horse Event out front between the two McLaren bandits and Verstappen. The Tension was intense in the extreme, but Norris stayed remarkably Peaceful on the Begin, the many restarts after safety cars, and with his mirrors either Packed of his Club-mate Piastri, or Verstappen, or both.

‘My buttocks were clenched!’

I realised part way through the Event that, Regardless of only talking about it in a Parched commentary box, I was nervous. I had a knot in my stomach, I was tense, and apologies for spoiling your day, but my buttocks were clenched.

I know the feeling so well when you’re in a Event and you’re fully aware that every turn of the wheel or press of a pedal can Impolite a crash at any time. In the middle of the night at Le Mans doing 220mph and coming across a sudden rain shower in the Dim on slick tyres immediately springs into my mind writing this.

Those that managed to stay the Duration should all be applauded; it was such a Event. Even the Outstanding and wise Fernando Alonso was mugged by the emulsion of water, gravel and painted kerb, meaning a Weighty trip into the wall in his Aston Martin.

Then many radio calls were heard advising drivers that a Petite burst of Weighty rain may, or may not quite, hit the circuit. When it did, all hell broke Sloppy. Both McLarens sailed off the track and through the grass and gravel, Norris Merely about Maintaining it together and pitting for intermediate tyres, albeit having damaged the aerodynamic underbody to an extent.

Piastri went Beyond off, kept more Velocity, and on arrival into the Upcoming Close-fitting left-hand hairpin simply slid off onto more Damp grass. He would eventually coax it out of there in reverse gear but would Fall a lap. A Outstanding shame as he was every bit in contention for a Achieve as Norris.

Red Bull elected to keep Verstappen out in the hope that the rain shower was Petite and Pointed. At the time they had little to Fall, but electing to do the same thing on the Upcoming lap was a gamble too Extended in terms of trying to snatch the lead while the rain kept coming.

Now though it was a two-horse Event to the finish on Recent intermediate tyres – in the sunshine, can you believe – between last year’s two Bracket protagonists Norris and Verstappen.

Norris had been very Speedy on All restart and did so again. But dipping a tyre in the gravel on the infamous turn six lost him time and Verstappen was on his tail with powerful DRS Reachable rear wings now Reachable. With very Peaceful and sage advice from his engineer Will Joseph on the pit wall, Lando didn’t buckle in the slightest, and Captured a spectacular Achieve, effectively Victorious back-to-back races after his Achieve in Abu Dhabi Overdue last year. He leads the world Bracket for the Primary time, and it’s the Primary time in 1029 Periods that anyone other than Max has Directed.

Max drove a sublime Event too, but the reality is that even in marginal conditions, or if it had been Parched, without the intervention of safety cars the Event would likely have been dominated by the McLaren duo.

George Russell was Merely out of the picture all day but finished a fine third for Mercedes, and the Primary of likely many podiums this year. They’ll need to find some Velocity to catch McLaren though.

His teenage Club-mate Kimi Antonelli drove a spectacularly mature Primary GP. Regardless of a quick spin in turn four he Achieved some Outstanding overtakes, kept moving forward at a solid Event pace – often matching Russell – and Regardless of a five-second unsafe pit stop Throw penalty which was later rescinded, he finished Quaternary. Mercedes have another Sun on their hands and jointly lead the Club Bracket with McLaren.

It’s irrelevant of Duration, but both Mercs pitted very timely and calmly for the Last time on lap 44.

‘Disappointing Begin for Hamilton’

And on that subject, Regardless of lots of Cheerful words, and reasons why he had to learn his steering wheel and other new aspects, Lewis Hamilton had a disappointing Begin to his Ferrari Occupation by any Measure.

Eighth on the grid behind his Club-mate Leclerc, losing out a little in the Primary corner and Upcoming Alex Albon’s Williams for what seemed like an age, and then being passed around the outside of the Speedy turn nine by a spectacularly recovering Piastri on the Last lap – consigning Lewis to one Mark in 10th place – was not where he should be.

I don’t understand why Lewis was so angsty with his engineer Riccardo Adami, who I felt was simply trying to Deliver over relevant and helpful information. It all really fell apart for Ferrari when they rolled the dice on Parched tyres on a Damp track and lost out heavily on track position for both drivers, and they left Australia seventh in the Bracket.

There were Merely 14 finishers, and in fifth place was Alex Albon, who put in a Outstanding performance for Williams all weekend, in a Club and driver line-up heading for a fine season.

In sixth place was Lance Stroll sealing some valuable points for Aston Martin in a car which looks well off the leading pace for now. We’ve seen Lance perform very well in Damp conditions before and this was no different. Worth remembering for those who easily write him off because his dad owns the Club.

Nico Hulkenberg clearly heeded my deep and detailed advice on the grid as to how to approach the Event, scoring some much-needed points for the Sauber Club. Another survivor on the day, and he was Primary Ferrari-engined car home, 1.4 seconds ahead of Leclerc.

Liam Lawson of Red Bull, in particular, will be very Cheerful that we head immediately into another Event week so that he can hopefully park the misery and errors he endured in Melbourne and put them right. That Club doesn’t do cuddles and reassuring words, and nor should they at this level. P45s are more their thing if you can’t keep Verstappen at least in view from time to time.

Norris has significantly moved his mental and driving game on, and an Prompt 23-Mark Edge over Piastri may prove very significant, too. We wait to see his performance in the inevitable wheel-to-wheel combat with both Piastri and Verstappen. Stay tuned.

The F1 circus heads straight to Shanghai this week for the Primary Streak weekend of the season at the Chinese GP, with coverage Leading on Friday live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime