Formula 1, Melbourne GP: Lando Norris wins, Oscar Piastri’s race ends in disaster

Melbourne’s weather has wreaked havoc on the Australian Grand Prix, but Oscar Piastri says there’s no-one to blame but him, as his day ended in disaster – unlike his teammate Lando Norris.

Oscar Piastri has been given reassurances from his McLaren bosses that he will be free to race his team mate Lando Norris after being ordered not to try and overtake him during Sunday’s heartbreaking Australian Grand Prix.

Piastri’s dream of winning his home race ended in tears when he got caught in a sudden downpour and spun out 13 laps from the end of one of the wettest and wildest races ever held at Albert Park.

In second place at the time, he dropped back to finish ninth while Norris went on to claim victory and maximum points in the opening round of the 2025 season.

Inconsolable after the race, Piastri said he made the mistake of pushing too hard for the win in the slippery conditions.

SCROLL TO RECAP THE RACE AS IT HAPPENED

Oscar Piastri fell short. Picture: David Caird

“It’s obviously pretty disappointing at the moment,” Piastri said.

“I felt like pretty much every lap apart from one I drove an incredibly strong race and it’s a shame not to have the result to show for it.

“I don’t have anyone to blame but myself.”

McLaren chief executive Zac Brown said Piastri was not to blame and was desperately unlucky to cop the foul weather after doing a superb job behind the wheel.

The heavy shower that brought him undone hit at the worst time when he was still on the circuit and within sight of pitlane where he was about to swap his slicks for wet weather tyres.

“I feel sorry for Oscar, he drove a brilliant race,” Brown said.

“They both came up on the rain at the same time. Lando was able to collect it but Oscar had it a little bit more tricky.”

McLaren team executive Andrea Stella was also quick to back Piastri, saying the young Aussie should have been on the podium.

“I think Oscar was deserving to be in contention for the victory until the last moment. He drove exceptionally well,” Stella said.

Lando Norris was the victor in Melbourne. Picture: Clive Rose/Getty Images

“And when I use the verb driving, that’s not only driving the car around the track, but it’s also the kind of assessment of the conditions, of the decisions that we should have taken.

“He was very lucid, very calm. He’s starting his season three in Formula One, but he looks like one of the most expert drivers that I’ve worked with.

“I was extremely impressed by Oscar. He was just a little bit unlucky.”

Stella confirmed that Piastri would also be allowed to compete on equal terms against Norris after briefly being told not to try and pass him for the race lead.

Piastri - and his army of Aussie supporters - were left dumbfounded when McLaren engineers told him to hold his position just as he was preparing to overtake Norris halfway through the 57-lap race.

The order was quickly overturned but it was too late for Piastri, who missed his best opportunity.

Stella said it would happen regularly and was only made because the weather conditions at that particular moment were changing rapidly and the two McLarens were approaching backmarkers so he wanted them to avoid any possible accidents.

“The drivers were aware when we gave the team order to hold positions and then they were aware when we told them to be free to race,” he said.

Piastri was able to battle back and finish in the top 10. Picture: Qian Jun/Paddocker

“We didn’t even know ourselves how long this period would have been until the weather forecast had become a little clearer.

“So we just tried to keep this period as short as possible and the drivers know that this is the case so we don’t want to make it unnecessarily long.”

Stella personally consoled Piastri after the race, telling him he was convinced that he would win plenty of races in 2025, with the next race in China a week from now.

“I just met Oscar here for a very quick moment and I just told him that he will have many satisfactions this year because he’s fast and the car seems to be fast. It was just an unlucky race,” Stella said,

“The good thing with Oscar is that you don’t have to do much of the psychological exercise with him, or convincing him not to get too upset with himself or with the situation.

“He’s one of the mentally strongest drivers that I’ve ever met. So I’m sure in China he will be back and very soon he will have important results.”

Originally published as Formula 1, Melbourne GP: Lando Norris wins, Oscar Piastri’s race ends in disaster