Norris tames the tempest with precision and iron will

If he is to make a tilt at the Formula One world championship this season, Lando Norris can consider he made the case as leading contender definitively at the opening meeting of 2025.

- Giles Richards

In weathering the storm for his win at the Australian Grand Prix, Norris demonstrated control, precision and an iron will under pressure.

There is an awful long way to go but at the death on a treacherous wet track and harried by Max Verstappen, Norris held his nerve like a champion.

In the build-up to the race, it was weather for the ducks on Albert Park Lake as waves of rain sashayed across the circuit, duly playing a significant part in its outcome.

Norris had its measure but, most significantly, when conditions settled and a dry line emerged McLaren showed their true hand.

Their car was blisteringly quick - Norris and his Australian teammate, Oscar Piastri, putting, at times, up to one-and-a-half seconds a lap on the field.

Their pace suggests that even catching them might be a Herculean task for their rivals this season and prompted Norris to concede, having been furiously bet-hedging during the pre-season, that his team were indeed now clear favourites.

Norris's win was a masterwork for the driver but the real takeaway from Melbourne was how it augers for the season, confirming the strength of McLaren's ride and its march on the opposition.

The confidence in the balance, handling and grip was in abundance when it mattered, having developed their car well over the winter with what the team principal, Andrea Stella, described as an aggressive approach.

Only Red Bull's Verstappen could stay in touch and then but briefly, with Mercedes and Ferrari trailing well behind the Dutchman.