Lando Norris is trying to keep his McLaren out of the DRS range of the hunting Red Bull of Max Verstappen. The Briton clocks a fastest lap to aid his charge and hold off the four-time world champion while his Mclaren team-mate Oscar Piastri stays in third.

Kimi Antonelli, fresh off his overtake, spins across the track in the Mercedes. He slides to the run-off and doesn't come to any harm, performing a slick manoeuvre to get himself back among the action.

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We have an overtake! Rookie Kimi Antonelli takes to the inside of the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg and the Mercedes teenager is up to 12th spot. Remember he went in Q1 yesterday and qualified in 16th place.

Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

The front left tyre is the one that takes the most punishment around this clockwise circuit, so as you turn the car right the weight transfers to the left-hand side, so it's the left-hand side tyres that takes most of that loading going through it.

It's definitely a learning curve for Lewis Hamilton and his new race engineer, Riccardo Adami. When is it too much information to give your driver? Hamilton tells Adami, like Charles Leclerc, to now leave him to it.

"Let me know where I’m slow. Struggling for drivability, the car is snappy."

Lewis Hamilton has said his first races with Ferrari is all about getting up to speed, and on lap 13 in Melbourne, he needs the assistance of his new race engineer to let him know where he is losing out. The seven-time world champion is still running in eighth place.

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"Too much information. You can leave it too me a bit more."

DRS has been enabled by race control as Charles Leclerc tells his Ferrari pit wall to leave him alone - he doesn't want to know which tyre needs nursing most. Fastest lap arrives at the door of Oscar Piastri in third.

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Abu: What a crazy start and it's not even Lap 10!!!

Rookie Gabriel Bortoleto is 14th now but the Brazilian is reporting some possible issues with his Sauber. It's McLaren, Red Bull, McLaren at the front of the line, with each driver desperately searching for those dry lines. The gap between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen is 1.2 seconds.

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Racing Bulls' rookie Isack Hadjar spoke to BBC 5 Live's Rosanna Tennant: "I'm just embarrassed and I'm sorry for the team, that's it.

"I don't know, it's not up to me to decide how people think of how good I am, I'm just going to try and come back in China with less silly mistakes."

Fernando Alonso and Yuki Tsunoda are both being investigated by race control for those safety car infringements. Lando Norris' family are watching on as the McLaren man crosses the line ahead of rival Max Verstappen for another lap.

Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Lando Norris did a really good job there of keeping things under control.

Max Verstappen is twitching a little bit in these conditions still, it's very treacherous.

The gap Lando Norris holds over world champion Max Verstappen is six tenths, the Red Bull driver just keeping the McLaren within his sights.

Lewis Hamilton on his first Ferrari outing is still in his qualifying position in eighth place.

Yuki Tsunoda has also been noted for a safety car infringement.

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We're racing again! Lando Norris holds position but Max Verstappen is still on his rear wing. The pack is being cautious after the chaos of the opening laps, plus cold tyres, so it's as you were for the top three. George Russell is still fourth, Charles Leclerc is fifth and Yuki Tsunoda is running in sixth spot.

Fernando Alonso has been noted for a safety car infringement.

The drivers have reached lap seven of the Australian Grand Prix and are still behind the safety car, but good news, the green vehicle is coming in at the end of this lap.

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McLaren have picked up the phone to Lando Norris to inform the polesitter no significant rain is on the horizon for at least 30 minutes. The track is drying up, but there are decisions to made as to when the switch to slicks will be made.

Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg gained places on the race start. The German has moved from 17th up to 12 spot. Fernando Alonso is also higher than when he first started, going from 12th to 10th.

Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

We are are not talking about huge puddles of standing water at this point, it's just damp all over.

This is a race track that becomes very slippery as soon as you get any water on it, the tarmac doesn't yield a huge amount of grip.

The pits is suddenly alive as Red Bull's Liam Lawson and Haas teenager Ollie Bearman each come in for fresh intermediate tyres. Lando Norris is leading the field around Albert Park with Max Verstappen in second and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in third.

The rest of the pack continue to follow the safety car as the marshals recover the wreckage of both the Alpine of Jack Doohan and the Williams of Carlos Sainz.

Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes rookie, is informed by Pete Bonnington Jack Doohan lost his car on the white lines, so be careful.