With 13 laps remaining, both Norris and Oscar Piastri, who was running behind his McLaren team-mate in second place, ran off the road and through the gravel in the slippery conditions.
Norris took the chequered flag just 0.8 seconds clear of world champion Verstappen with George Russell third for Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton finished a disappointing 10th on his Ferrari debut.
McLaren’s Lando Norris, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and drivers in action at the start of the race REUTERS/Edgar Su
The late chaos had promoted Hamilton to the lead after Ferrari kept him out on slick rubber. But the seven-time world champion was forced to follow the rest of the field and move on to wets.
“I didn’t think it was going to rain much,” said Hamilton. “We missed a big opportunity.”
The opening round of the season started in wild fashion after rookie Isack Hadjar crashed into the barriers on the second corner of the formation lap.
When the race got under way after a 15-minute delay, Verstappen, starting third, was much quicker than Norris and Piastri off the line, but Norris moved aggressively to his right to hold off the Dutchman.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri celebrate in the pitlane during the McLaren post-race celebrations during the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park (Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images)
Out came the safety car on lap one, before Carlos Sainz crashed into the barriers at the final corner with three drivers out before the start of the second lap.
By lap 30, Piastri was right on Norris’ gearbox before he was controversially ordered to “hold position” by McLaren’s pit-wall.
Moments later, Fernando Alonso was in the wall at Turn 11 leading to a second safety car. With the track drying out, the field pitted for slick rubber before the race re-started again on lap 41.
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Norris came in for wets, dropping him to eighth. Verstappen assumed the lead and attempted to stay out on dry tyres, but had to stop two laps later for intermediate tyres.
On lap 47, Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto both spun out leading to a third safety car, which came in with six laps remaining.
Additional reporting from the Press Association.
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