McLaren’s superiority over the rest of the field after the opening race of the 2025 Formula One season came as a surprise to team principal Andrea Stella, he admitted after their performance in Australia on Sunday and he now believes their car may have an advantage that will make them hard to beat this season.

Lando Norris won in Melbourne with a strong run from pole to flag, beating Red Bull’s Max Verstappen into second and the Mercedes of George Russell into third. During the race, interrupted by repeated safety cars as the tricky, wet conditions took their toll, Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri were at times able to open a huge gap on their rivals, at some points up to over one and half seconds a lap.

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