Helicopter wins Mercedes protest as Ferrari suffer shocker – International media reacts

The season-opening Australian Grand Prix was a chaotic affair, as wet weather caused chaos in Melbourne. 

Lando Norris survived the mayhem to claim victory, ahead of reigning world champion Max Verstappen and George Russell. 

Oscar Piastri was in podium contention before spinning, as a result of a sudden heavy rain shower in the closing stages at Albert Park. 

Six crashes took place during the first race of 2025, four of which involving rookie drivers. Isack Hadjar crashed on the formation lap.

What did the rest of the world make of the race? Find out as RacingNews365 takes you through the headlines of some of the biggest global publications.

🇬🇧 The Times - 'Lando Norris rises above chaos to win wet Australian Grand Prix'

Starting in the United Kingdom, The Times focuses on Norris' victory in the season-opener after surviving a chaotic race. 

Norris successfully converted pole position into the win at Albert Park, but faced significant pressure from Verstappen. 

The McLaren driver had Verstappen behind him for the opening laps, before a mistake by the Dutchman allowed Piastri past. 

Piastri was instructed not to attack Norris; however, a mistake by both McLaren drivers on Lap 44 saw Verstappen back behind the Briton until the very end of the race.

🇮🇹 Corriere della Sera - 'Hamilton first controversy on the radio with the Ferrari box at the Australian GP: "You told me it would rain little. A great opportunity missed"'

In Italy, unsurprisingly, Corriere della Serra has written about Lewis Hamilton's disastrous Ferrari debut and yet another strategic error by the Scuderia. 

Hamilton was comfortably off the leading pace throughout the grand prix, and had to settle for eighth in qualifying – behind Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon. 

To add to the seven-time world champion's difficulties, the team miscalculated how much rain would fall on Lap 44 and decided to leave Hamilton out for too long before pitting him for intermediate tyres. 

Hamilton finished 10th in the end and delivered race engineer Riccardo Adami the following radio message after pitting when the heavy rain fell: "Thought you said it wasn't going to rain much? Missed a big opportunity there."

🇺🇸 The Washington Post - 'Rookie Isack Hadjar crashes on formation lap and delays start of F1 Australian GP'

In the United States, The Washington Post discusses Isack Hadjar's embarrassing formation lap crash which delayed the start of the race. 

Hadjar had been having a phenomenal debut weekend, and qualified in P11 for the season-opener. However, in wet conditions he crashed on the second corner of the formation lap. 

An embarrassed Hadjar was seen crying in his helmet, before being comforted by Anthony Hamilton, the father of Lewis, and F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali.

Of the six full-time rookies, only Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman did not crash and made it to the end. 

🇩🇪 BILD - 'Helicopter images provide new Formula 1 result'

In Germany, BILD spoke about Mercedes activating its right of review after the Australian GP, following a five-second time penalty for Antonelli. 

The young Italian driver received the penalty for what was deemed as an unsafe release, demoting him from fourth to fifth after the chequered flag. 

However, following the review of helicopter footage, Mercedes' won its right of review, restoring Antonelli's fourth-place finish. 

It was a remarkable recovery from the 18-year-old, who had started the grand prix from 16th following a Q1 exit in qualifying.

🇦🇺 Herald Sun - 'Doohan disaster: Pressure builds on Aussie after Melbourne wipeout'

In Australia, the host nation of the season-opener, the Herald Sun focuses on the unfortunate first lap retirement for home driver Jack Doohan. 

Following a positive qualifying where Doohan progressed to Q2, the Australian driver crashed on the first lap, destroying the rear of his Alpine. 

It further increases the pressure on Doohan, with Alpine third and reserve driver Franco Colapinto having watched on in the garage as the crash happened. 

🇫🇷 L'Equipe - '"I blame myself for my mistake": Charles Leclerc, angry with himself after his 8th place at the Australian Grand Prix'

In France, L'Equipe discusses Charles Leclerc's disappointment at finishing eighth in the first round of the 2025 F1 season. 

Leclerc's pace had look promising in free practice on Friday, but the Monegasque, like Hamilton, struggled in qualifying. 

He qualified on the fourth row in seventh and was only two tenths quicker than his new team-mate. 

Unfortunately, Leclerc failed to make progress during the grand prix and was forced to settle for eighth, with a spin during the heavy rain shower having hurt his progress.