Norris downplays favorite status ahead of Australian Grand Prix

Norris dismisses dominance claims

Despite Mercedes' George Russell suggesting McLaren will start the season "by far the strongest" and Toto Wolff stating they "clearly" have the quickest car, Lando Norris has pushed back against these perceptions.

"I know there's a lot of expectation and that's what everyone says. My one race run I did just made everyone believe this quite heavily," said Norris.

The British driver emphasized how testing conditions affected perceptions:

"It was a good race run, but it was also in the most perfect conditions. Oscar did a race run the next day that was a lot slower, not because he drove worse, but simply because the conditions on the final day were considerably slower."

Norris expressed surprise at how quickly conclusions were being drawn:

"I'm quite surprised so many people are so short-sighted, especially people you wouldn't expect to be, making so many conclusions before we even started the season. But, everyone just wants to play that game of looking like the underdog and playing it down."

Verstappen cautious about Red Bull

Three-time world champion Max Verstappen adopted a measured approach when assessing Red Bull's chances in the season opener.

"I know that we are not the quickest at the moment, but again, it's a very long season," Verstappen revealed candidly.

"If you would have asked that question here last year and then at the end of the season again, it looked completely different. A lot of things can always change quite quickly in Formula One."

When pressed about championship defense strategies, Verstappen preferred a more relaxed mindset:

"There's a lot of things that you make me think about that I actually don't think about.

So it's actually way more relaxing to just go into it, trust the people around you, and go from there."

Piastri Confident

Oscar Piastri, fresh from signing a long-term contract extension with McLaren, addressed the possibility of becoming the first Australian to win his home Grand Prix with a blend of optimism and realism.

"I don't know. We'll see," Piastri responded when asked about victory chances.

"I think we're pretty happy with how our test went, but as we've said, Melbourne is a completely different track to Bahrain.

Weather is going to be different to Bahrain and different every hour, by the look of it."

Regarding team dynamics with Norris, Piastri was clear:

"We're starting from a clean slate, and ultimately, whoever's going to be faster on track is going to be the one who wins and finishes higher. We're both going to be trying our best to win."

Hamilton embraces Ferrari challenge

Lewis Hamilton, making his Australian debut in Ferrari red, conveyed genuine excitement about his new chapter.

"Over the years, I've gone up and down the paddock looking at the red garage, and now I'm actually in the red garage. So it's a really nice feeling," Hamilton shared enthusiastically.

The seven-time world champion described his mindset for adaptation:

"I'm still learning this new car that's quite a lot different from what I've driven my whole career, in the sense of the Mercedes power coming to the Ferrari power, it's something quite new – different vibration, different feel, different way of working."

Hamilton emphasized his personal approach over external expectations:

"I don't really approach this role with pressure.

I think over the years, the pressure I put on myself has always been ten times higher than any other pressure that could be put upon me. This is definitely the most exciting period of my life."

Doohan and Antonelli ready for F1 debuts

Both Jack Doohan and Andrea Kimi Antonelli prepare to make their Formula 1 race debuts, with Doohan particularly excited about racing at his home event.

"To be honest, I'm super keen just to get on the track," Doohan remarked. "Been so much build up.

A long time since we finished in Abu Dhabi it feels now, so I'm excited to get to tomorrow, FP1 on the way."

Antonelli expressed similar sentiments:

"It's amazing. Obviously, it's a dream coming true. I've been waiting for this moment my whole life. I don't want to set anything too high—I just want to have a clean weekend, find a nice rhythm in order to be able to build up from there."

Sainz positive about Williams progress

Carlos Sainz, last year's Australian Grand Prix winner, conveyed optimism about his move to Williams while acknowledging the competitive reality.

"The car also didn't disappoint me," Sainz explained about his initial impressions.

"Progress means being more competitive, fixing the things we didn't get right last year.

Happy faces, happy people. I see people full of motivation and that's what I care about the most."

When asked about potential results this weekend, Sainz was pragmatic:

"Maybe after FP2, give me a session to see where everyone is, and I tell you what I would be happy with. But the win of last year, I don't think it's very likely."

As practice sessions begin tomorrow, the competitive order remains unclear, with McLaren attempting to manage expectations despite being positioned as early favorites.