Torrential rain, high-speed crashes, and last-lap drama—Melbourne’s F1 season opener was pure chaos

The 2025 Formula One season roared to life in Melbourne with a race that had everything—treacherous weather, race-ending crashes, and a stunning victory for Lando Norris. The McLaren driver braved the relentless chaos to secure his second consecutive F1 win, while reigning champion Max Verstappen struggled to keep up. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut turned into a nightmare, as the seven-time champion limped to a lacklustre 10th-place finish.

The weekend had already been drenched in anticipation, with McLaren’s Norris and Oscar Piastri stunning the grid by locking out the front row. But as race day approached, unpredictable weather loomed large, throwing every strategy into disarray. The track, a rarely used street circuit, became a skating rink as rain mixed with layers of old rubber and painted lines.

Before the lights even went out, the conditions had claimed their first victim. Racing Bull’s Isack Hadjar lost control on the formation lap, slamming into the barriers and retiring on the spot. That was only the beginning.

As the race finally got underway, Norris barely held onto the lead despite a sluggish start. Verstappen pounced on Piastri, snatching second place as cars wrestled with the treacherous grip. Further back, rookie Jack Doohan was caught out by the wet track, losing control and crashing into the barriers. The safety car was deployed almost immediately, and before the field could settle, another victim fell—Carlos Sainz, in his Williams, spun off without even completing a full-speed lap.

The restarts were brutal. Every time the safety car peeled away, Norris faced relentless pressure from Verstappen, with Piastri lurking dangerously close behind. But the real chaos erupted when the heavens opened once more. A sudden downpour sent both McLarens skidding off the circuit. Norris somehow regained control, diving into the pits for intermediate tyres, but Piastri wasn’t as lucky. He slid even further, losing an entire lap trying to recover.

Red Bull gambled on keeping Verstappen out on slicks, hoping the rain would be brief. It wasn’t. By the time he finally pitted, Norris had reclaimed the advantage, and Verstappen’s hopes of a comeback were crushed.

With the track drying, the final laps turned into a nerve-wracking duel. Verstappen, armed with DRS, hunted Norris down, but the Brit stayed ice-cool. A minor off-track moment at Turn 6 threatened to ruin his race, but he recovered just in time. Guided by calm radio instructions from his race engineer, Norris crossed the finish line first—his maiden win in Melbourne and a historic moment in his career.

Further down the order, Lewis Hamilton endured a brutal start to life in Ferrari red. A poor qualifying session left him eighth on the grid, and his race went from bad to worse as he got stuck behind Alex Albon’s Williams for what felt like an eternity. Adding insult to injury, Piastri, recovering from his earlier off, breezed past Hamilton on the final lap, pushing him down to 10th place.

To make matters worse, Hamilton’s radio exchanges with Ferrari engineer Riccardo Adami became increasingly tense. Frustration was evident as his strategy crumbled, with Ferrari’s miscalculated tyre choices leaving both their drivers well out of contention. A miserable debut, and not the statement Hamilton had hoped to make.

Beyond Norris’ triumph and Verstappen’s resilience, the biggest surprise came from Mercedes. George Russell secured a quiet but impressive third place, while teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli dazzled with a mature drive to fourth. Despite a spin and a penalty scare, Antonelli’s pace was undeniable—a future star in the making.

Alex Albon delivered a sensational fifth-place finish for Williams, while Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll claimed a valuable sixth, proving his wet-weather prowess yet again.

But it was a weekend to forget for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc could only manage eighth, while Hamilton’s solitary point left the Scuderia seventh in the Constructors’ standings—a far cry from their title ambitions.

With just days until the Chinese Grand Prix, teams have little time to recover from Melbourne’s madness. Norris leads the championship for the first time, ending Verstappen’s 1,029-day reign at the top. But with McLaren now a serious threat, Red Bull will be desperate to fight back.

One thing’s certain—if Melbourne was any indication, the 2025 season is going to be unforgettable.