• Verstappen second, Russell third as Piastri finishes ninth
• Lewis Hamilton 10th in Melbourne on Ferrari debut

If he is to make a tilt at this season’s Formula One world championship, Lando Norris can consider that he made the case as leading contender definitively at the very opening meeting of 2025. In weathering the storm for his victory at the Australian Grand Prix, Norris demonstrated control, precision and an iron will under pressure. There is an awful long way to go but at the death on a treacherous wet track and harried by a charging Max Verstappen, Norris held his nerve like a champion.

In the build up to the race, it was weather for the ducks on Albert Park Lake as waves of rain sashayed across the circuit, duly playing a significant part in its outcome.