Damon Hill uses just two words to describe Max Verstappen’s driving in the rain at the Australian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen may not have won the Australian Grand Prix but he did prove why he’s considered one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers in recent memory on the wet streets of Melbourne.

McLaren have established their position at the front of the grid over pre-season testing and the opening race weekend of the 2025 season.

Were it not for an uncharacteristic error from Oscar Piastri, he and Lando Norris would have completed a one-two finish in both qualifying and the race itself.

But Max Verstappen is consistently inevitable and just as Norris tries to put his mark on this campaign as the one where he’s going to win his first drivers’ championship, the Dutchman is scoring every point possible to keep him under pressure.

The Australian Grand Prix turned out to be a race of attrition and making the correct decision at the right time.

Thirty per cent of the grid hit the barriers and Norris pitting at the last second after sliding off the track in the final sector likely won him the race.

Red Bull pitted Verstappen at least a lap too late but footage of how he navigated a circuit hastily getting wetter certainly impressed world champion Damon Hill.

Martin Brundle believes he spotted a way for Verstappen to win in Australia but the 27-year-old still looked very pleased when he got out of his car to finish P2 last Sunday.

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Damon Hill lauds Max Verstappen after Australian Grand Prix wet lap on dry tyres

Hill shared a video on Instagram of Verstappen’s final lap before pitting for intermediate tyres in Australia.

On the team radio, Verstappen says as he crosses the start line, ‘I can’t see the radar, you need to tell me if the rain is still coming.’

As he’s approaching turn three, he goes back to his team again and states, ‘Looks like the rain is coming here now, we need to make a decision,’ before being told that the team will let him know the plan.

Verstappen continues to report on the weather as he drives around the circuit where the rain is falling, giving Red Bull even more up-to-date information than the radar can provide.

He’s told he’s quicker than Norris – who has already changed tyres – in sector one and is doing the same time as him in sector two before approaching the final part of the track where both McLarens previously went off and he’s already four seconds slower.

Onboard for the first few moments of the Grand Prix 👀#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/yT8TxdjJTL

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 17, 2025

The Dutchman is much more tentative at this point and is struggling to control the car, but manages to keep it on the driest line expertly.

As he comes out of the penultimate corner, he’s quickly told to box and enters the pit lane, although he has to control a huge slide between the narrow barriers on the entry to the pits which would have ended his race.

Reacting to Verstappen’s lap, Hill admitted it was, ‘quite compelling’, and while it didn’t earn him victory, it did highlight just how effective he is driving in wet conditions.

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Max Verstappen could benefit from Chinese Grand Prix track change

Verstappen starts an F1 season on the back foot for the first time since he won a world championship but he’s a much more experienced driver than when he had his intense battle with Lewis Hamilton.

Norris struggled to battle Verstappen on track last year with the 27-year-old using his experience and an expert knowledge of F1’s rules of engagement to maintain his advantage.

The Dutchman doesn’t have that luxury in 2025 and once Piastri overtook him in Australia, both McLarens opened up a significant gap with ease as their car is so much kinder on its tyres.

Verstappen could benefit from the track in Shanghai being resurfaced this weekend which could allow him to push his Red Bull slightly harder than he was able to in Melbourne.

However, there’s a chance it benefits McLaren too and if that’s the case then it’s imperative he gains track position by either outqualifying his rivals or having a better start going into the sweeping first corner.