F1 2025: Lando Norris breaks 1,029 day Max Verstappen streak at Australian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Mexico, Mexican Grand Prix, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 2025

Lando Norris breaks 1,029 day Max Verstappen streak at Australian Grand Prix

Lando Norris claimed victory at the season-opening race

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 16 March 2025 11:57

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Lando Norris has broken Max Verstappen's all-time record streak following victory at the Australian Grand Prix.

Norris drove superbly to claim the win in Melbourne, leading the field from start to finish, despite the chaos that was taking place behind him.

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Multiple crashes, safety cars and weather conditions had to be fought by the Brit, but he eventually finished ahead of 2024 championship rival Verstappen by less than a second.

Four-time champion Verstappen came so close to victory in the end, but had been more than 16 seconds off the pace of McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Norris before rain and unexpected strategy changes altered the feel of Norris' win.

Nevertheless, Norris started 2025 where he left off in 2024, with a victory, climbing to the top of the championship standings for the first time in his career.

Max Verstappen finished second to Lando Norris in Australia

Norris leads championship standings

Norris now has five career race wins, and will have all the confidence that he can challenge for the world championship title this year, particularly given he sits 23 points ahead of team-mate Piastri already, with McLaren seemingly having the fastest car.

The 25-year-old Brit has become the first driver other than Verstappen to lead the drivers' championship standings since 2022, ending a record-breaking streak for the Dutchman.

Verstappen overtook Charles Leclerc in the championship back in May 2022, and has remained at the top for 1,029 days, claiming three consecutive world championship titles in that time.

Norris came close to surpassing the Dutchman in 2024, proving to be his main challenger, but has now managed to get ahead to start the new season.

Verstappen's 1,029-day streak at the top of the standings is the longest in F1 history by over 100 days, with Michael Schumacher occupying second and third in that list.

Between 2000-2003 Schumacher led the world championship for 896 days, and then went on to have another huge streak of 630 days from the 2003 Canadian GP until the 2005 Australian GP.