Without the rain and the safety car, the Australian Grand Prix might not have been much of a contest. The two McLarens of Norris and Oscar Piastri quickly built a lead of more than 15 seconds to Verstappen in third early in the race.

Verstappen’s teammate last year, Sergio Pérez, has been replaced by Liam Lawson this season, with the New Zealand driver set to make his full-time F1 debut in 2025. In the drizzly conditions in Bahrain, Lawson said he was fighting “a few teething gremlins” with his car as he sought to adjust to life alongside Verstappen.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton racing a Ferrari for the first time. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen arriving without a lot of mileage in his Red Bull.

In a post-race live room with readers, The Athletic's senior F1 writer discusses what he saw at the season's first race.

The first race of the F1 2025 season is in the books and it was Lando Norris who picked up the opening win of the campaign.