Norris: An incredible start to the year

Norris delivered a strong performance to take his fifth F1 career win down under as he looks to clinch his first F1 title after failing to beat Max Verstappen in 2024.

The Briton overcame tricky raining conditions and an off-track moment towards the end of the race to keep Verstappen at bay, the Dutchman challenging him hard for the win in the final laps of the grand prix.

Reflecting on his win from pole, Norris said in McLaren's team report: "It's an incredible start to the year and the team have given me an amazing car from the get-go.

"Whilst it was a tough race due to the unpredictable conditions and the pressure from Oscar and Max, I felt comfortable and confident out there in the package the team have given us.

"It's been a great weekend. We now need to go to China, do it again, and continue from there. There's a long season ahead, and we have to keep our heads down and keep pushing," Norris concluded.

Oscar Piastri, in the sister car, had a torrid race, spinning out of the points towards the end but recovering to finish ninth on a day where a win, or at least second place, was the possible result for the Australian in front of his home crowds.

"A disappointing result after a really positive weekend," Piastri commented. "I had the speed and I felt in very good shape to fight for the win. Unfortunately, at the end, I just lost it in the sudden rain.

"Thanks to the team for all their efforts and thanks to all the Australian fans who have given me so much good energy and support over the last few days. It means a lot," the Aussie concluded.

Summing up McLaren's first race weekend in 2025, team principal Andrea Stella said: "It is very satisfying to begin the season with a victory, but we definitely have mixed feelings today because for a long time, it looked like we were on for a one-two finish.

"Lando and Oscar were both driving brilliantly until they hit a sudden wall of rain in the final sector where, effectively, Oscar just paid a bigger price than Lando when they both went off track. He was just a little bit unlucky, but if the car keeps performing at this level of competitiveness, he won't have to wait long to secure big results.

"Lando was very impressive today," Stella went on. "Controlling the restarts, withstanding the pressure from Oscar and later Max in such challenging conditions, particularly as he was running with damage in the last stint, was a great display of how he continues to develop as a driver.

"I'm very happy with the way the drivers have supported each other through the weekend by learning from each other, the front row lockout was the result of this collaboration.

"As to the pace of the MCL39, I think today, the gap we were able to open in the first stint, before the Safety Cars, demonstrated both that the car is competitive, but also that it is gentle on the tyres," Stella said of the car. "It's meeting the objectives we have set for ourselves over the winter, so congratulations to the whole team for a lot of hard work – but it will take a few more races until we can better understand the true competitive order.

"Here in Australia, I don't think we've seen everything our competitors have to offer. We'll learn more next weekend in China," the McLaren TP concluded.