F1: Norris Triumphs Over Verstappen at Australian GP

Melbourne, March 16 (NationPress) McLaren's Lando Norris outperformed defending champion Max Verstappen to claim victory at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, which was marked by unpredictable weather, numerous crashes, safety cars, and a dramatic late-race downpour.

George Russell from Mercedes completed the podium, while Alexander Albon of Williams finished fourth after a late five-second penalty pushed Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli down to fifth.

Norris now leads the world championship, having secured the first win of the season for McLaren at the Australian GP, which featured intermittent rain and several accidents.

"It was amazing, a top race, especially with Max behind me. I was really pushing, particularly in the last two laps - it was a bit stressful, not going to lie. These tricky conditions are the ones we enjoy, and we ended up on top, so I’m happy," Norris remarked.

"We had many issues last year, so I suppose we learned from our errors - we missed out in Silverstone and Canada under similar circumstances. Handling the pressure and dealing with Max, with Oscar behind me, required continuous effort. It was a challenging race, but I owe my gratitude to McLaren for providing me with an exceptional car," Norris added.

Norris controlled the early laps of Sunday’s race from his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Verstappen on a wet track, before improved conditions allowed a switch to slick tyres in the latter half.

However, shortly after the drivers had changed to slicks, another heavier rain shower drenched the circuit again, causing both McLarens to lose grip. While Norris managed to regain control and pit, Piastri skidded and lost valuable time, allowing Verstappen to take the lead, as reported by Formula 1.

With Verstappen still on slicks and conditions worsening, a pit stop was unavoidable, and when he finally pitted, Norris reclaimed the lead he had maintained earlier.

After a final Safety Car period, triggered by crashes involving Kick Sauber debutant Gabriel Bortoleto and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson, Norris faced pressure from Verstappen in the challenging, slippery conditions, with the latter getting within DRS range.

Nevertheless, Norris had just enough speed to cross the finish line ahead of his 2024 rival, with George Russell capitalizing on the chaos to secure a podium spot for Mercedes, followed by high-performing Williams driver Alex Albon and rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli had overtaken Albon late in the race but was penalized for an unsafe release, dropping him to fifth behind Lance Stroll of Aston Martin, Nico Hulkenberg of Sauber, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, and the recovering Piastri.

Lewis Hamilton briefly led the race after staying out longer on slicks during the late rainfall, finishing 10th after he pitted, thus denying points to Pierre Gasly of Alpine and Yuki Tsunoda of Racing Bulls.

Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman attempted to continue on intermediates before the decisive final rain, only to switch back to slicks and have to make additional stops, finishing 13th and 14th, respectively.

Lawson and Bortoleto joined a lengthy list of retirements due to their respective crashes at Turn 2 and Turn 13, adding to a significant mid-race incident for another Aston Martin driver, Fernando Alonso, and early accidents for Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Alpine rookie Jack Doohan.

One driver who didn’t even make it to the start line was Racing Bulls newcomer Isack Hadjar, who crashed during the formation lap, leading to an aborted start, and was left devastated on the sidelines.