Lando Norris secures a thrilling win in the season-opening F1 race, while Lewis Hamilton underwhelms in his debut for Ferrari.

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

The British driver overcame tough conditions and intense pressure from four-time reigning champion Max Verstappen to take the top step on the podium and begin his campaign with the full 25 points.

Norris had started from pole position after McLaren’s dominant performance in Saturday’s qualifying, with teammate Oscar Piastri joining him on the front row in second.

Despite McLaren’s strong qualifying showing, Norris remained cautious about the threat posed by Verstappen, who started third on the grid — and his concerns were justified.

In a race marked by several safety car periods and late rainfall, Verstappen relentlessly pursued Norris, never letting him build a comfortable lead.

When the chequered flag was finally waved, Verstappen crossed the line just 0.895 seconds behind. Norris later admitted he had to glance at his mirrors more often than he would have preferred.

“It was incredible,” the 25-year-old said in a post-race interview. “It was a challenging race, especially with Max right behind me — I really had to push hard. The final two laps were pretty intense, I won’t lie, but it’s an amazing way to kick off the season.”

Norris acknowledged that the race wasn’t flawless, but he managed to handle the tricky conditions well enough to secure the victory for himself and the team.

“We made a lot of mistakes last year, but I guess we’ve learned from them,” he added.

Mercedes’ George Russell rounded out the podium in third place, while his young rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli impressed by finishing fourth. Antonelli had initially received a time penalty, but it was later rescinded.

Further down the field, Lewis Hamilton endured a disappointing debut for Ferrari, finishing in tenth place after a lackluster performance.

The 40-year-old made the move to Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season following a successful 12-year stint with Mercedes.

However, he’ll be hoping for major improvements if he’s to challenge for an eighth drivers’ title and help Ferrari secure its first championship since 2007.

“It went a lot worse than I expected,” Hamilton admitted in an interview with Sky Sports, calling it a “very tricky” opening race of the season.

“The car was extremely difficult to handle today. Honestly, I’m just thankful I didn’t end up in the wall — that’s where it felt like it wanted to go most of the time.”

Both Hamilton and Ferrari will be aiming for a swift turnaround ahead of the next race.

The Formula One season continues in China next weekend, with the race scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on March 23.