Lando Norris managed to overcome the unpredictable conditions of Albert Park to win the 2025 season opener. The British driver responded well to the expectations imposed upon him and McLaren over the winter.
Despite this, the biggest takeaway from Australia was not necessarily Norris’ victory.
Instead, it was the ominous pace demonstrated by the MCL39 – which secured victory despite sustaining significant damage.
McLaren dominant in all conditions
Owing to the unpredictable nature of the Australian GP, there are many stories to follow and analyse.
From Alex Albon’s brilliant P5 to the disappointing showing of Ferrari, the 2025 season opener provided plenty of compelling storylines.
In terms of the title fight, however, the most important development was the unmatched pace and tyre management demonstrated by McLaren.
Once Oscar Piastri overtook Max Verstappen, the Australian (with teammate Lando Norris) created a 20-second gap to the #1 car.
Although wet conditions are traditionally an equaliser in F1, the reality is that Mclaren’s supremacy in the wet acts as further evidence of the MCL39’s speed and stability.
At one stage, the papaya duo were lapping one second faster than the reigning Champion.
Considering all of the indications that emerged in testing, McLaren appear to have a clear advantage over the rest.
Andrea Stella reveals Norris damage
There was one phase when McLaren were under legitimate pressure – at least beyond the demands of adapting and anticipating to mixed conditions.
In the final laps, Max Verstappen forced Lando Norris to look in his mirrors – putting himself within DRS range.
However, as team principal Andrea Stella told GpBlog, this was not because Red Bull actually had the pace to challenge MCL39:
“One issue we had in the final laps of the race with Lando, is that he had the floor pretty badly damaged.
“He lost aerodynamic performance, and this meant that he couldn’t utilise the full pace of the car.
“So I think the situation got more tense than would have normally been the case, because of this damage on Lando’s car.
“I think how strong the car was – we could see actually with Oscar. That in the space of a few laps [after his spin] he recovered three, four positions.
“I think in normal circumstances it shouldn’t have been that difficult for Lando.”
Piastri’s late surge
Understandably, the biggest story in Australia – from the perspective of Oscar Piastri – was his spin on lap 44.
The 23-year-old was firmly in contention for victory until that stage, before plummeting to the very back of the field.
Still, the McLaren driver’s race did not end there – eventually managing to get back on track and unlap himself under the final Safety Car.
In the final laps of the race, Piastri surged up the field, even dispatching of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
Point being, the Australian provided yet another example of the MCL39’s blistering pace – in the absence of a representative sample from Lando Norris after sustaining floor damage in the final stages.
Moving forward, McLaren’s rivals will be scrambling to close the gap to the Woking-based operation.
