Lando Norris claims victory in dramatic opening F1 race of the season as Lewis Hamilton disappoints in Ferrari debut

Lando Norris claimed a dramatic victory in the opening race of this year’s Formula 1 season in Australia on Sunday.

Lando Norris claimed a dramatic victory in the opening race of this year’s Formula One season in Australia on Sunday. The British driver was able to fend off the challenging conditions and the threat of four-time reigning champion Max Verstappen to top the podium and kickstart his season with the maximum 25 points. Norris started the race in pole after McLaren dominated Saturday’s qualifying – his teammate Oscar Piastri rounded off the front-row to start in second. But even after McLaren’s imperious qualifying form, Norris was wary of the threat of Verstappen from third on the grid – and he was right to be. In a race heavily impacted by safety cars and – in the latter stages – rain, Verstappen never allowed Norris the comfort of a big lead and chased him down to the bitter end. When the chequered flag was eventually waved, Verstappen was just 0.895 seconds behind Norris, who admitted he had to check his mirrors a few more times than he’d have liked.