Lando Norris beats Max Verstappen to win F1 Australian GP in Melbourne

Lando Norris of McLaren won the wet and wild Australian Grand Prix, fending off defending champion Max Verstappen in a white-knuckle victory in the season opener jam-packed with safety cars and crashes.

Only 14 of the 20 cars in the Albert Park race finished in the icy conditions that had been present on Sunday. Only George Russell of Mercedes came in third place.

Norris, the driver’s title race favorite, won the race for the top spot in Abu Dhabi at the end of the season.

His teammate Oscar Piastri’s ninth-place finish put him in the racecar race and put his hopes on becoming the first home driver to win or take the podium with a skid into the grass.

Lewis Hamilton finished 10th overall, two places behind teammate Charles Leclerc, in his Ferrari debut.

With Verstappen breathing down his neck, Norris claimed his fifth victory of his career in Melbourne, making it his first win there.

It was incredible, I said. He said it was a difficult race, especially with Max (Verstappen) in my back.

“I was pushing,” especially during the final two laps. I won’t lie, it was a little stressful.

“We did it right this time, and we came out ahead,” I said.

For the first time in his career, Norris now holds the F1 drivers’ championship. He is the first McLaren driver to lead the championship since Hamilton following the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix.