Australian GP 2025, F1 Race Highlights: Lando Norris won a dramatic, rain-hit season-opening 2025 Australian Grand Prix, holding his cool in the crunch stages after taking pole position. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen finished second, while George Russell took P3 after a clean race amidst the chaos. Ferrari flopped after a huge strategy gamble, leaving Charles Leclerc in P8 and Lewis Hamilton in P10. Oscar Piastri was battling for the win, but spun in the final part of the race. The race saw 6 DNFs. Experienced drivers Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz crashed out, as did rookies Jack Doohan, Isack Hadjar and Gabriel Bortoleto.
Full Top 10: 1. Lando Norris (McLaren), 2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 3. George Russell (Mercedes), 4. Alex Albon (Williams), 5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 6. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), 7. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber), 8. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 9. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 10. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
F1 Australian Grand Prix Highlights, 2025 Aus GP Formula 1 Leaderboard, straight from Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne:
11:54 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Thanks for tuning in!
Thank you for tuning in to the LIVE coverage of the Australian GP 2025. A cracking race to begin things. Lando Norris does his signature champagne celebration, and signs off!
Tune in to NDTV Sports for all the live and latest sports updates. IPL 2025 is right around the corner, Premier League action is heating up, and the F1 season has only just begun!
Thank you. Goodbye!
11:48 (IST)
Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates, F1 Race LIVE: What a start!
Well then, what an incredible start to the 2025 Formula 1 season. Two hours of madness. We had rain, we had strategy gambles, safety cars, spin outs and even a battle for the lead right up to the last lap! Lando Norris wins Round 1, but this will be a superb season.
11:45 (IST)
Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates, F1 Race LIVE: The points scorers!
Full Top 10:
1. Lando Norris – McLaren
2. Max Verstappen – Red Bull
3. George Russell – Mercedes
4. Alex Albon – Williams
5. Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
6. Lance Stroll – Aston Martin
7. Nico Hulkenberg – Sauber
8. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
9. Oscar Piastri – McLaren
10. Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
11:40 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Surprise points scorers!
Alex Albon P4, Lance Stroll P6 and Nico Hulkenberg P7! Exceptional points early on for teams that were expected to be low on the pecking order. Sauber managed only 4 points in all of 2024, they have 6 now after Race 1.
Wet race, drama and opportunities.
11:38 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Piastri’s costly spin
Oscar Piastri’s costly spin, onto the grass, has seen him go from contending for the race win to finshing only P9 at the end. He showed speed, but lacked the composure in the crunch moments, and that was the difference point between him and Norris.
11:37 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Major disappointment for Ferrari
Ferrari could’ve been in contention for the podium spots, but threw it away with their strategy call during the second rain period. Charles Leclerc finishes P8, Lewis Hamilton P10 after being overtaken by Oscar Piastri on the final lap.
11:34 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Russell on the podium!
George Russell had a clean race, and has found himself on the podium! Mercedes get a good result in the end, with Antonelli finishing P5, after a five-second penalty. Alex Albon? P4 in a Williams. Terrific drive by the Thai-Brit.
11:34 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: LANDO NORRIS WINS!
Lando Norris wins the 2025 Australian GP! The Brit holds off a late challenge from Max Verstappen, and claims a well-deserved victory in the end. Pole to win for Lando Norris. Great race by Verstappen, in what seems to be an inferior car to the McLaren. What a race!
11:29 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Verstappen vs Norris!
LAP 57/57 – We’re heading into the final lap! Verstappen was all over Norris on Lap 56, and is 7 tenths behind the race leader heading into the final lap! Who will win?
11:28 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Overtakes galore!
LAP 54/57 – Leclerc and Hamilton get past Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who had a moment off track. Leclerc now P8, Hamilton now P9. Piastri also gets past Gasly, and will now take P10, the final points-scoring position.
11:23 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Leclerc overtakes Hamilton
LAP 52/57 – Not a great start for Hamilton, who is overtaken by his teammate. Got compromised into Turn 1, allowing Leclerc the opportunity. Norris has a clear advantage over Verstappen, who is being hunted down by Mercedes driver George Russell.
11:21 (IST)
Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates, F1 Race LIVE: 7 laps to go!
LAP 51/57 – Safety Car is coming in at the end of this lap, and we will have a dash to the finish if we do get racing for the final 5 or so laps. Norris leads, ahead of Verstappen and Russell. Ferrari duo Hamilton and Leclerc are down in P9 and 10.
Alex Albon is fourth, can he sneak a shock podium?
11:16 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: FERRARI PIT!
LAP 48/57 – Oh dear, oh dear. It has all gone wrong for Ferrari in the strategy department again. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are forced to pit, the rain is too heavy. They are way down the order now, in P9 and P10.
Norris, Verstappen, Russell now the top 3. Alex Albon is up to P4. Antonelli P5. What a race!
11:13 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Huge gamble taken by Ferrari!
LAP 48/57 – Ferrari are taking a monstrous gamble. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have stayed out on the slick tyres! P2-P3 now! Lando Norris is back up into the lead on inters, Max Verstappen has boxed at last. It is raining heavier now.
And the safety car is out! Liam Lawson crashes.
11:09 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: PIASTRI SPINS
LAP 44/57 – Oscar Piastri has spun out! He is down in last place now. Max Verstappen takes the lead, but Lando Norris has pitted for intermediate tyres. Norris has come out behind Lawson, and is stuck! Verstappen is staying out, so is Lewis Hamilton who is up to P2!
11:03 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Safety car ending
LAP 41/57 – Safety car is ending. Lando Norris leads, Oscar Piastri P2, Verstappen P3. 16 laps to the chequered flag! And the rain is coming! Charles Leclerc’s race engineer has informed him that it is expected in about 3 laps.
11:01 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: The Top 10
LAP 40/57 – More rain expected! Uncertainty around the teams, who have all pit for slick tyres. Norris and Piastri on hards, as are Russell, Leclerc and Hamilton. Max Verstappen, Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon are on the mediums. Gasly and Antonelli are P9 and P10.
This could get very, very interesting. We are still under the Safety Car, but the wreckage has been cleared.
10:54 (IST)
Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates, F1 Race LIVE: More rain?
LAP 37/57 – Looks like we could have yet more rain. Oscar Piastri’s race engineer stating that there could be 1 lap of rain between Lap 45-50. That could put a big twist to this race, with drivers now on slick tyres. ‘Class 2/3 rain’ expected.
10:51 (IST)
Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates, F1 Race LIVE: Split strategies!
LAP 37/57 – Max Verstappen and Red Bull have opted for the medium tyres. McLaren duo Norris and Piastri have pitted for hards! Interesting tyre call. Will this allow Max a chance to win? Remember, the cars will be all bunched up now.
10:47 (IST)
Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates, F1 Race: CRASH!
LAP 34/57 – FERNANDO ALONSO IS OUT! The veteran Spaniard spins and slams into the wall. Oh dear! And the safety car is deployed. Lewis Hamilton is one of the first people to pit.
10:45 (IST)
Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates, F1 Race: PIASTRI has a moment!
LAP 33/57 – Oscar Piastri had a big moment there! Went off track and dipped his tyres into the gravel. He was right on Norris’ tail, but has fallen off now. 3.5 seconds the gap between Norris and Piastri. Breathing room for the race leader, as we get closer to pitstops.
10:42 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: TEAM ORDERS MCLAREN!
LAP 32/57 – Oscar Piastri has been ordered by McLaren to hold position! The reason given by his race engineer is to maintain this till they get to the pit stop window. Piastri is right behind Norris, though, so will he obey?
10:38 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Norris vs Piastri!
LAP 29/57 – Oscar Piastri is in DRS range of Lando Norris. This battle is about to get heated! Piastri has closed the gap right down, and looks the fastest man on track at the moment. Can Norris hold on? Will team orders come in?
10:36 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Max out of contention
LAP 27/57 – Max Verstappen has fallen nearly 15 seconds behind the frontrunning McLaren duo. He is a further 7-8s ahead of Russell in P4. What is boiling up, is a big battle for the lead! Piastri closing in on Norris.
10:33 (IST)
Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates, F1 Race LIVE: Hamilton still behind Albon
LAP 25/57 – Lewis Hamilton getting ever closer to the Williams of Alex Albon, but is unable to get the overtake done. Hamilton is lapping more than a second slower than teammate Leclerc at the moment, as he is stuck behind the Williams.
Meanwhile, another drizzle seems to be hitting the track. None of the leading cars have pitted yet.
10:26 (IST)
Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates, F1 Race LIVE: Hamilton CLEARED
LAP 21/57 – Lewis Hamilton, along with Yuki Tsunoda, Alex Albon and Fernando Alonso, was under investigation for a safety car infringement. That has now been cleared. It has not been a great race for Hamilton so far. He is already 30+ seconds behind the lead, and has still not managed an overtake today.
10:25 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Weather to clear?
LAP 20/57 – Max Verstappen pushing for a pit stop, and has dropped 4 seconds behind Piastri! His race engineer advices against it, saying that the weather is expected to clear in about 10 minutes. We could see drivers pitting for dry tyres soon.
10:23 (IST)
Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: PIASTRI PAST MAX!
LAP 18/57 – Oscar Piastri overtakes Max Verstappen! Big pressure put by the Australian, and Verstappen goes too deep. Good overtake, and we have a McLaren 1-2 now. The papaya team were the pre-season favourites, and look clearly the best team in this race so far.
Meanwhile, Antonelli has re-overtaken Nico Hulkenberg. The rookie is up to P12.
10:21 (IST)
Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Antonelli SPINS
LAP 16 – Kimi Antonelli has spun! He had overtaken the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg, but that has been undone as he spins in the tricky conditions. The Italian mega talent is currently down in P13, not having his best race.
10:19 (IST)
Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates, F1 Race LIVE: Fastest lap, Norris!
LAP 16 – Lando Norris sets the fastest lap of the race, and pulls away from any DRS threat from Verstappen. Meanwhile, a drizzle has started once again, but it is expected to be short. Piastri still in touching distance of Max.
10:16 (IST)
Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates, F1 Race LIVE: Leclerc fading away
LAP 12 – Charles Leclerc is suffering a bit of tyre wear early on, and has dropped 2.7 seconds behind George Russell in P4. On the other hand, Russell is nearly 7 seconds behind Piastri! We’re heading towards a three-way fight for the win here.
10:13 (IST)
Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: DRS enabled!
LAP 12 – DRS ENABLED! Big call by the FIA, who have decided that it is dry enough to allow cars the extra speed if they’re within 1 second off the car in front. Verstappen will be under pressure, with Piastri only six tenths behind!
10:12 (IST)
Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Norris pulling away
LAP 11 – Looks like some false hope for Max Verstappen. Lando Norris pulls out a gap again, and is now 1.1 secs clear of Verstappen. The world champion is keeping him honest though! Meanwhile, not many overtakes lower down the order. Hamilton still stuck at P8, behind Tsunoda and Albon.
10:09 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Max near Norris!
LAP 10 – Now the scales have turned! Verstappen has made up a lot of ground on Lando Norris there, and is just half a second away from the race leader. It will be difficult to overtake in wet conditions, though. No DRS just yet.
10:07 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Piastri chasing Max
LAP 8/57 – All drivers maintain position as the race restarts. Verstappen tried to close in on Norris, but now the McLaren driver is stretching out a gap. Piastri is on Max’s tail now, and is getting closer!
10:05 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Safety Car coming in!
LAP 7/57 – Safety Car ending in this lap. We are set to get underway again. Norris, Verstappen, Piastri, Russell, Leclerc – the top 5. Hamilton P8. Carlos Sainz is OUT! Here we go then!
10:04 (IST)
F1 Aus GP 2025 LIVE Updates, Weather Update: No more rain!
LAP 6 – Both Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri have been informed by their race engineers that no more rain is on the cards. The track should dry up at this rate, and drivers could switch to slick tyres by the end.
10:00 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Red flag?
LAP 5 – All cars pass through the pit lane amidst the safety car conditions. Clearing up job still going on seemingly, following Sainz and Doohan’s crashes. Martin Brundle, in the commentary box, speculates a red flag, but it does not seem to be happening.
09:58 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Lap 4 then
We are currently on Lap 4/57. Under the safety car. Norris P1, Verstappen P2, Piastri P3. Charles Leclerc had a good start, and is up to P5 after a terrific overtake on Yuki Tsunoda on the opening lap. Hamilton hasn’t had the same luck, he is still down in P8.
Anyone’s race, though, it seems!
09:56 (IST)
F1 Australian GP 2025 LIVE Updates: Disaster for Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz has spun out, into the barriers, on his Williams debut. Started P10 but he has crashed under the safety car. We have had just 1 racing lap, but three drivers are out already! Sainz, Doohan and Hadjar.
Big crash for Doohan as well, and it is great to see that the Australian is okay.
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