Lando Norris believes he would not have won Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix if the same chaotic race took place last year.
Norris held off Max Verstappen in the closing stages and overcame mixed conditions in Melbourne to deliver what Sky Sports F1‘s Martin Brundle described as “one of the great victories in F1 history” on a day where six drivers crashed out and making the right strategy calls was difficult.
It is the first time McLaren have won the season-opener since 2012 and Norris underlined his status as favourite for the title this year.
“I think we do, by a little margin, have the best car, but not everything is about the car,” Norris told Sky Italy.
“Today was a deserved win because we made good decisions as a team. In the past, last year, we would have done the same race and we wouldn’t have won because we were not the best at making those decisions and today we were.
“I give a lot of praise to the team because they worked hard over the winter to make sure they were ready for a day like today.”
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McLaren’s Lando Norris secures his first win of the season at the Australian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen and George Russell completing the podium places
The three races affected by rain last year – the Canadian, British and Sao Paulo Grands Prix – saw Norris in the fight for the win in each of them. However, he was unable to stand on the top step of the podium at those events which was key for the championship at the time.
“We lost out on a few races last year. Not even ones where it was a guaranteed win, but I think Silverstone was probably a guaranteed win. I don’t know what call we made, but it was a shocking one and we accepted that,” he said.
“Canada wasn’t a guaranteed win. George was quick, Mercedes was quick, and Max was quick. But we didn’t nail the strategy. We knew we had to improve in certain areas.”
Norris: It felt like story time on the radio
Norris started from pole position and retained the lead off the start but came under serious pressure from team-mate Oscar Piastri in the first half of the Grand Prix.
In changeable, treacherous conditions, it was key to have clear communication between the driver and engineer, an area Lewis Hamilton struggled with on his Ferrari debut.
As for Norris, he says his discussions with engineer Will Joseph were a big part of his drive to the win.
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McLaren driver Oscar Piastri ran wide ending up on the grass, leaving him to rejoin in last place!
“There’s been a lot of work on trying to make sure we’re snappier and better with communication. To be honest, today, I wouldn’t say it was snappy – I felt like I was having story time with Will on the radio,” he said.
“We were talking so much every lap; I might as well have left my radio open the whole race. It’s a difficult situation being first and not knowing what to do with tyres. You just know someone behind will get it right behind you, because they’re going to gamble something, and it’ll work out for them.
“I didn’t want to lose out to someone in the middle of the pack who gambled and somehow won. So, I was just making sure we were prepared. I was making sure the guys on the pit wall and everyone back in Mission Control at MTC were aware of what was going on. Making sure we were on top of it, ready to make the right call.”
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Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz reflects on all the big talking points from the Australian Grand Prix
Norris revealed the race-winning decision to pit for intermediates when the last rain shower hit came as he was trying to avoid a spin after he went wide at Turn 13, along with Piastri, who beached his car in the grass for over a minute at the net corner.
“That right call was made literally half a second before I boxed, as I was still trying to save the car and didn’t shunt. It turned out to be the right decision,” he explained.
“It was more about relaying information and making sure we’re not overdoing it, a good amount of information-giving them my feelings.
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The best of the action from the first race of the 2025 Formula 1 season at the Australian Grand Prix
“A little drizzle seemed to make a big difference for us today, especially for me on the hard tyres. That’s what allowed us to make that call to box as quickly as we did. There’s a lot more behind the scenes that even I don’t know.
“A lot of it is the strategy team doing their work. I owe them a lot of credit today because they’ve put in a lot of time and effort over the winter. It’s not just about driving a car quickly on a day like today, strategy is a big part of it too. I owe a lot to Will and the strategy team today.”
Norris: I lacked confidence last year
Norris joined McLaren in 2019 as a teenager and will have his best chance yet of winning the title if McLaren repeat their form from Melbourne into the remaining 23 events.
The 25-year-old has always been open with the media about his mentality and appeared to doubt himself at times in last year’s title battle against Verstappen.
“I have come into the season a bit more calm and relaxed than I normally am,” he told Sky Sports F1.
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Chelsea pair Levi Colwill and Robert Sanchez were put through their paces on the F1 simulator by McLaren’s Lando Norris
“I’ve got a little bit of confidence and it’s not like I’ve got too much confidence now. I probably lacked confidence last season and now I’ve got a good balance of confidence and knowledge that I can go out, do well when I’ve got to do it. I’ve got a bit of faith in myself basically.
“That’s a nice thing to have and it keeps me calm. When I’m calm, I’m quick and when I’m quick, I can win.”
The F1 circus heads straight to Shanghai this week for the first Sprint weekend of the season at the Chinese GP, with coverage starting on Friday live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime
