Norris holds off Verstappen to win wet and wild F1 opener

Melbourne — McLaren’s Lando Norris swept to victory in a wet and wild Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, holding off defending champion Max Verstappen in a white-knuckle finish to a Formula One season-opener littered with crashes and safety cars.

Mercedes’ George Russell was third on the slippery Albert Park circuit where only 14 of the 20 cars finished in the treacherous conditions.

Norris, the preseason favourite for the drivers’ title, started the Formula One season as he finished the last at Abu Dhabi, with victory from pole.

The Briton’s win ended Verstappen’s long run at the top of the championship standings dating back to May 2022.

Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri started second on the grid but finished ninth, his dreams of becoming the first home driver to claim victory or a consolation podium ending with a skid into grass.

Norris claimed his first win in Melbourne and the fifth of his career, saying it was difficult with Verstappen breathing down his neck.

“It was amazing. Tough race, especially with Max behind me,” he added. “I was pushing, especially in the last two laps. It was a little stressful.

“This time we got it right and ended on top so I’m happy.”

Red Bull kept Verstappen out on worn tyres hoping for a break in the rain but he was ultimately forced to pit, potentially costing him a better shot at Norris.

A philosophical Verstappen said it was “worth the gamble”.

“It was quite spicy on the slick tyres. It was alright in the end,” he said.

“This is where I expected to be. In the first stint we were lacking a bit of pace to the McLaren.”

Lewis Hamilton’s debut for Ferrari proved a damp squib with the Briton finishing 10th, two places behind teammate Charles Leclerc.

Seven-times world champion Hamilton complained his car was “hard to drive” and said the team had made the wrong call with the weather late on which proved costly.

Mercedes’ 18-year-old rookie Antonio Kimi Antonelli finished fourth to become the youngest F1 racer to score points on debut.

He was initially dropped to fifth due to a 5 sec penalty for an unsafe release from the pit but stewards later reversed the decision.

Williams had an encouraging day with Alex Albon fifth, though Carlos Sainz crashed out in his debut for the team.

Lance Stroll was sixth for Aston Martin, while Sauber also celebrated points for seventh-placed Nico Hulkenberg.

The race was held up for 15 min after debutant Isack Hadjar lost control in the formation lap and rear-ended his Racing Bulls car into a wall.

With his rear wing damaged and his race over, the unharmed Frenchman was in tears as his car was hauled off track.

Australian rookie Jack Doohan was gone soon after the restart, crashing his Alpine at turn six on the first lap to trigger the safety car as his father Mick, the motorcycling great, looked on in disbelief from the team garage.

Reuters