Lando Norris kept Max Verstappen at sword’s length over the final laps of the Australian Grand Prix to claim victory in the season-opener.
He was the strongest threat to Verstappen’s fourth consecutive championship victory last year, and is arguably the most significant competitor the Red Bull driver has faced since pipping Lewis Hamilton to win his first championship in controversial circumstances in 2021.Not since the conclusion to that championship, when Hamilton won consecutively in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, has any driver other than Verstappen managed to win two grands prix in a row. But Norris changed that by following up his victory in last year’s season finale.
It was a significant win for various reasons, not least the fact it dislodged Verstappen from the top of the standings for the first time in over 1,000 days, as covered here earlier. Norris leads the points for the first time in his career, not that he is setting too much store by that. “It’s great, doesn’t mean anything, I’ve not won it so I don’t really care at the minute,” he responded when it was pointed out to him after the race.
Norris scored his 10th pole position, matching Jochen Rindt; fifth grand prix victory, equalling Giuseppe Farina, Clay Regazzoni, John Watson, Michele Alboreto and Keke Rosberg; and 13th fastest lap, tying with Jacky Ickx, Alan Jones and Riccardo Patrese.
He gave McLaren their first win in the season-opening round of the championship, and their first victory in the Australian Grand Prix, since 2012. Then as last weekend, McLaren also locked out the front row of the grid, though Norris should be grateful it wasn’t their second-placed starter who won, as on that occasion, when Jenson Button got the jump on Lewis Hamilton. Starts were not a strength of Norris’s last year, but he successfully converted pole position into the lead on this occasion.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
For the first time in six years, the new Formula 1 season began at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne. It should have done in 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the first seven rounds of the world championship. The season instead opened in Austria, where Norris made his first appearance on the podium in the first round of the season.
Antonelli, 18, became the second-youngest driver in F1 history to score points. Verstappen was 17 when he finished seventh in the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix, two weeks after making his debut in Melbourne. He is the first Italian driver to score points in F1 since Antonio Giovinazzi at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021.
Alexander Albon brought great cheer to Williams by finishing fifth. That was their best result since Russell’s second place in the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, which officially lasted just one lap in dire conditions. They haven’t had a better result in a full-length race since Lance Stroll finished third for them at Baku in 2017. Felipe Massa was the last driver to finish that high for them in a season-opener, at Melbourne in 2016.
Stroll also had a positive weekend in Australia. After 11 races without scoring, he ended the longest point-less run of his grand prix career by finishing sixth.
He was one of several drivers who rose up the order by pitting at the right time when it rained. Ferrari kept both their drivers out, which meant Hamilton led a lap on his debut for the team. Unfortunately by that point the track was sodden and he was on slicks. He fell to ninth, then Oscar Piastri passed him around the outside at turn nine on the final lap.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Hamilton’s eventual finishing position of 10th was the worst for a driver on their debut for the team since Luca Badoer’s notoriously unsuccessful two-race spell as a substitute for Massa in 2009:
| Year | Driver | Race | Track | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Luca Badoer | European Grand Prix | Valencia Street Circuit | 17th |
| 2009 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Italian Grand Prix | Monza | 9th |
| 2010 | Fernando Alonso | Bahrain Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit | 1st |
| 2015 | Sebastian Vettel | Australian Grand Prix | Albert Park | 3rd |
| 2019 | Charles Leclerc | Australian Grand Prix | Albert Park | 5th |
| 2021 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Bahrain Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit | 8th |
| 2024 | Oliver Bearman | Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Jeddah Corniche Circuit | 7th |
| 2025 | Lewis Hamilton | Australian Grand Prix | Albert Park | 10th |
It could have been worse, and it was for Isack Hadjar, who Hamilton’s father consoled after he crashed out on the formation lap prior to the start. The rookie became the first driver to fail to start on his debut since 2015. At least he qualified, which was more than could be said for Roberto Merhi, whose Marussia was not ready to run at all at this race 10 years ago.
Go ad-free for just £1 per month
>> Find out more and sign up
Over to you
Have you spotted any other significant stats and facts from the Australian Grand Prix Grand Prix? Share them in the comments.
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories - and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
F1 statistics
- Doohan’s final corner pass on Bortoleto was F1’s closest fight for last place in seven years
- Aston Martin lapping slower than last year at Jeddah: Lap time data
- McLaren makes best start to a season since before its drivers were born
- Only one team has lapped faster than last year in Bahrain: Lap time data analysed
- Red Bull’s 104th pole position means they now have as many as Hamilton
Riccard
19th March 2025, 8:06
That’s a crazy stat.
Others have had the car to do it – the Ferraris in early 2023, the Mercedes in mid 2024, the McLarens a few times in 2024, the Ferraris in the US and Mexico.
Sometimes those wins have come but been shared among teammates; sometimes, like Ferrari in 2023, the fastest car has been squandered
But either way, no other driver has been able to take things by the scruff of the neck for even two races in a row.
It’s good to see two at the top now – even if it’s taken Norris a worryingly fast car to achieve it.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
19th March 2025, 8:16
I didn’t remember ferrari had a good car early 2023, I remember that season as a verstappen walkover, I even had a look on wiki, but they were only close in quali at times; I remember mclaren in 2024 having the chance to get multiple wins in a row, and ofc the ferrari late season.
I also think it’s an impressive stat, 3 years is a long time for only 1 driver to win consecutive races.
Riccard
19th March 2025, 16:55
Yeah, I got the years mixed up – meant the start of 2022
Edvaldo
19th March 2025, 16:34
Leclerc would have pulled it off in 2022, in Spain and Monaco. Was easily leading both.
Instead, the car failed him in Spain and the team fumbled his strategy in Monaco to finish 4th lol
Typical.
Ben
19th March 2025, 8:12
It shows how good the RedBull is and how it’ll likely be the same this year.
Doggy
19th March 2025, 17:27
That is only because rb19 and first 5 races in last year’s season. Since Miami last year up until now, the rbr has on par with Mercs and Ferrari. More or less circuit dependant
Jere (@jerejj)
19th March 2025, 8:35
A separate stat article, after all, meaning that the one on race day was merely a one-off exception.
Nevertheless, Antonelli may have become the second-youngest driver to score points, but he’s still the youngest to score points on debut & regarding Hadjar, I totally forgot about Stevens failing to start the 2015 GP, so ‘the first time in a long time to suffer a DNS on debut’ alternative proved to be accurate.
While this year’s Australian GP edition was the first to open a season in six years, I point out again that the Australian GP was also supposed to be the season-opener in 2021.
Jonathan Parkin
19th March 2025, 8:44
Although my OCD would have preferred it said; ‘First driver to suffer a DNS on the opening round’ This is important because since Hadjar didn’t start, his race debut is now China (potentially).
This would alter the stat too, since hadn’t Sebastian Vettel suffered a DNS at the opening round in Bahrain one year
Jere (@jerejj)
19th March 2025, 8:51
Jonathan Parkin I of course meant scheduled debut & therefore first entry on which he suffered DNS.
Jere (@jerejj)
19th March 2025, 8:53
An additional note regarding Antonelli is that he became the first driver to finish within P5 on debut since Felipe Nasr in the 2015 GP, which I’d totally forgotten.
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
19th March 2025, 10:06
Stevens didn’t debut in 2015, he raced in the 2014 finale for Caterham (which is why the article only mentioned Merhi).
Jere (@jerejj)
19th March 2025, 11:11
@hunocsi I ended up mixing up thanks to the article, but oh well.
Wellbalanced
19th March 2025, 8:57
One correction in this otherwise interesting article — ‘He gave McLaren their first win in the season-opening round of the championship’. In fact, that should read ‘…since 1998, when Hakkinen and Coulthard scored a McLaren 1-2.’
As it happens, watching Sunday’s race brought the ‘98 Oz Gp to mind – two McLarens dominating (much of) the race, in a car that looks like it might dominate the season.
Frank
19th March 2025, 10:14
McLaren won the opening round of the championship with Coulthard in 2003, Hamilton in 2008 and Button in 2012, so 1998 was not the last time they won the opening round.
The article is correct.
Wellbalanced
19th March 2025, 13:43
You’re correct – I misread it
Senna versus Schumacher
19th March 2025, 14:20
Another anorak fact: a McLaren driver is in the lead of the WDC for the first time since after Canada 2012.
paulgilb (@paulgilb)
19th March 2025, 15:16
4th time in the last 7 races that Russell’s team-mate has gone out in Q1.
First race to take place on 16 March in which Hamilton has not started on pole.
3 drivers have scored 10+ points on their debut, all on either 15 March or 16 March (Magnussen, Nasr, Antonelli). Gasly is the only other driver whose maiden points score was 10+ points.
Hulkenberg has finished 7th in 6 of his last 8 Australian GPs (having not completed a single racing lap in his first 3 Australian GPs).
Fewest finishers (14) since Sao Paulo 2023. Both races featured a DNS plus 2 first-lap DNFs.
Kick Sauber have scored more points so far in 2025 than in the whole of 2024.
First time since 2009 that Hamilton has a team-mate who did not make his F1 debut with Williams.
Stroll has exactly 300 career points.
First time since Bahrain 2006 that there has been a 2-way tie on points at the top of the Constructors’ Championship.
Hamilton keeps alive his record streaks of at least 1 point and at least 1 lap lead in every season he has competed in.
23rd consecutive year with at least 1 Mercedes-powered pole position, 29th consecutive year with at least 1 Mercedes-powered fastest lap, and 31st consecutive season with at least 1 Mercedes-powered car leading a lap – all extend their current record streaks.
22nd consecutive year in which at least 1 British driver has managed pole position – extends the current record.
First time Albon has managed a top 5 finish in the first half of a calendar year.
Thanks to statsf1 and the official F1 site for some of these.