Lando Norris picked up where he left off in 2024 by winning the Australian Grand Prix and taking charge of the Championship standings.
McLaren is leading the Constructors’ Championship, while Norris dethroned Max Verstappen after 1,039 days to lead the Drivers’ standings.
It was an impressive victory for Norris considering he almost threw it away twice; once when Oscar Piastri came close to overtaking him midway through the race before McLaren employed team orders, and a second time when he ran off track with Piastri at Turn 12 at the impending rain hit the track while they were on slick tyres.
It was a tough strategy gamble for the teams and one which required the right amount of information to be relayed between team and driver. Norris had clearly learned from previous mistakes, notably during the 2021 Russian Grand Prix when rain suddenly hit the track in the closing stages and denied him of his first win.
Martin Brundle branded Norris’ win on Sunday as one of the ‘all-time’ great wet weather drives during commentary on Sky Sports F1, but was it really worthy of such a claim?
Martin Brundle might have given Lando Norris too much credit with Australian GP win claim
To be considered on the ‘all-time’ win list a driver has to either dominate the race where others failed or achieve something extraordinary in the race.
Norris effectively led the Australian GP for every lap apart from a couple when he made his mistake at Turn 13 and was forced to pit for Intermediates. It wasn’t a calculated call to pit but rather a spur-of-the-moment thing, knowing the next lap could be even trickier.
Max Verstappen could have easily pitted the next lap and emerged ahead of Norris, instead, he stayed out too long and threw away a potential race win. There was not an element of control to Norris’ victory, but a sequence of fortuitous events.
It didn’t display the dominance of Sebastian Vettel’s win in inferior machinery at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, or the ‘never give up’ attitude displayed by Jenson Button in Canada 2011.
Verstappen might not have won the 2016 Brazilian GP, but he won over fans with his daring overtaking moves which included an absurd outside pass on eventual champion Nico Rosberg.
Lando Norris’ Australian GP victory was excellent but it was just short of being an ‘all-time’ win
I’m not taking away the impressive communication Norris had between him and Will Joseph when it mattered, nor his skill in keeping it on the road in the treacherous conditions.
Experience was a massive advantage in that race, over half of the six rookies that competed did not finish due to unforced errors.
READ MORE: Martin Brundle hails ‘brilliant’ Lando Norris radio message as the reason he beat Max Verstappen at the Australian GP
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s drive was impressive because of his lack of experience in the conditions, downright absurd saves, and dragging a result out of a car that is probably only fourth best by finishing ahead of both Ferrari’s.
Norris was in the fastest car on track and made a few potentially costly errors, while also coming under clear threat from Piastri. Without team orders, who knows if he would have won the race?
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