Lando Norris confesses ‘stressful’ battle against Max Verstappen over Australian GP win

Lando Norris started the Australian GP from pole position ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri. While his arch-rival Max Verstappen started from third place. After a fierce battle during tricky weather conditions, it was Norris who managed to emerge victorious at the first race of the season. The Briton acknowledged that he was stressed particularly during the ending stages of the Grand Prix.

The McLaren star had a positive start to the race and retained his lead. Things went smoothly at first with the Woking pitwall instructing Piastri to not battle Norris till the track got dry. However, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had mishaps on track in slipper conditions, which gave Max Verstappen a shot at vctory, as the Dutchman came right behind the race leader.

Ultimately, Norris managed to fend off the reigning world champion and win the race. The 25-year-old claimed that it was an amazing race victory especially after battling Verstappen in the final two laps. Lando Norris pointed out that he was truly pushing himself to the limit to stay ahead of the Dutch driver. He even confessed that things had become quite stressful before he finally crossed the line.

Max Verstappen left no stone unturned in order to try and take the lead from Norris. However, the Dutchman simply ran out of time by the end of the race, forcing him to stay content with second place. This is the first time when Norris is leading the F1 drivers’ standings.

Lando Norris: "It was amazing, a top race, especially with Max behind me. I was pushing, especially the last two laps – it was a little bit stressful, not going to lie."

— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) March 16, 2025

Lando Norris delighted to take hard-fought Australian GP win

The British driver faced criticism last year for his failure to withstand high pressure situations. However, Lando Norris seems to have learnt his lesson. The 25-year-old showed no signs of cracks in the ending stages of the race despite the slippery track surface.

Norris had a moment midway through the race when rain poured on-track again. The McLaren star confessed that it was quite tricky throughout the course of the Grand Prix. Though, the five-time race winner claimed that such races were actually the most rewarding, asserting that he was delighted to be standing on the top step of the podium.

Moreover, the 25-year-old insisted that despite the challenges, the race was extremely positive for McLaren. The Woking-based team had a significant pace advantage during the entire weekend, showing that it will continue to have an upper hand on rival teams this season. This could potentially allow Norris to finally claim a maiden F1 world title.

Lando Norris insists McLaren won’t repeat mistakes

The McLaren pit wall made some controversial calls during Norris’ failed title battle against Verstappen last season. This inevitably impacted the morale of the team with the Briton losing some crucial points. Now, it seems that the Woking-based team has gained the experience and will rectify such errors.

Lando Norris pointed out that the races in Silverstone and Montreal were two occasions which were similar to the Australian GP, where the team lost out last year. As such, the 25-year-old emphasized that things have changed now. Moreover, Norris highlighted that he did deal with pressure well this weekend particularly against Verstappen and Piastri.

Certainly, this victory will serve as a massive boost to Lando Norris. The British driver did everything right this weekend in what has been the perfect start to his 2025 campaign. Despite McLaren’s pace advantage, Norris understands that it is a long season and one cannot rule out someone like Max Verstappen. As such, fans can expect the five-time race winner to only race harder in the next race.

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