Max Verstappen wins Australian Grand Prix ahead of much-improved Lewis Hamilton after chaotic finish
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Updated 02/04/2023 at 10:38 GMT
The reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen never looked back after hitting the front at the Australian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver leapt ahead of old rival Lewis Hamilton on lap 11 and looked in total control of the race. A red flag close to the finish could have thrown a spanner in the works but Verstappen was ultimately a worthy winner.
'It was chaotic!' - Verstappen claims dramatic win in Melbourne
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took the chequered flag at a chaotic Australian Grand Prix to seal his second win of the 2023 Formula One season at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne.
After a total of three red flags, multiple safety cars, and a series of crashes late on, there was a lot of confusion that delayed the finish to the race, but the reigning world champion eventually took a deserved victory.
Lewis Hamilton secured second place for his first podium finish of the season in the Mercedes, and Fernando Alonso once again rounded off the top three in the Aston Martin.
Verstappen, who started on pole position, did not have the best of starts, and was jumped by both Mercedes cars on the first lap. On the same lap, Charles Leclerc was tagged from behind by the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll into Turn 3, which saw the Ferrari go into the gravel trap, which ended his race and brought out an early safety car.
A second safety car was deployed on Lap 7, as Alex Albon saw his Williams go into the wall at Turn 7. A lap later, race control opted to show a red flag to halt proceedings due to gravel on the circuit.
George Russell, who led the first part of the race, was a major loser out of it, as Mercedes had opted to pit him under the safety car. The call dropped him to seventh.
Hamilton initially led the pack at the restart, but his lead did not last long, as Verstappen eased past the Mercedes with the help of DRS down the back straight on Lap 11.
Russell’s afternoon then went from bad to worse, as the Mercedes driver was forced to retire with a power unit failure on Lap 18, as fire engulfed the rear of his car.
With Verstappen pulling out a gap of 7.5 seconds over Hamilton as the race entered the closing stages, it looked like another regulation win for Red Bull. However, everything changed with two laps to go, as the Haas of Kevin Magnussen made contact with the wall at Turn 2, causing a second red flag of the Grand Prix.
That meant we had a dramatic shootout in prospect at the end for the win in Melbourne. Verstappen held his nerve at the third standing start of the afternoon to emerge out in front at the first corner, but it soon became chaos as multiple cars crashed.
The first incident saw Carlos Sainz hit the back of Alonso into Turn 2, spinning the Aston Martin out. There was also contact between the two Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, which saw them both retire with damage. Logan Sargeant and Nyck De Vries also were caught up in incidents.
A lot of debris was on the track as a result, and the decision was taken to show the red flag for a third time. With the teams in limbo, race control eventually made the call to resume the race behind the safety car with a rolling start, in the previous grid order minus the cars that were out. The drivers crossed the chequered flag on the final lap with no overtaking permitted.
With Sainz being handed a five second penalty for his incident with Alonso, the Ferrari was classified in 12th place, meaning Ferrari failed to score. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri got his maiden points finish for McLaren at his home race, finishing in eighth.
DRIVER OF THE DAY - Sergio Perez
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Sergio Perez of Mexico
Image credit: Getty Images
After a difficult qualifying session on Saturday, the Mexican started from the back of the grid. The Red Bull driver had a lot of ground to make up on the track to get a positive result, but he showed the pace of the car by making a series of overtakes to move up the field.
With all of the late chaos shaking up the grid order even more, Perez eventually came home in fifth position, which will please both him and the team. A great recovery drive.
KEY MOMENTS
LAP 1/58 - We are racing here at Albert Park as the five red lights go out! Russell takes the lead ahead of Verstappen, who goes up the inside of Turn 1! Lewis Hamilton then gets past the Red Bull down into Turn 2, and Charles Leclerc is into the gravel trap and his race is over for Ferrari! We have a safety car as a result!
LAP 7/58 - Alex Albon is out of the race! He has a shunt going into Turn 7 and his Williams is stranded on the circuit. Safety car is deployed. Replays show that he lost the rear mid-corner, and went straight into the wall. Disappointing for the Grove-based team, but the driver looks OK. Mercedes make a bold call and call in Russell for a tyre change.
LAP 11/58 - Verstappen makes the move on Hamilton down the back straight around the outside and is back in the lead. The DRS there for the Red Bull gave him at least 20 km/h of an advantage down the straight. It is as you were, and it demonstrates just how quick the Red Bull is.
LAP 54/58 - Magnussen has a tangle with the barrier into Turn 2, and loses his right rear tyre! It is on the circuit in a dangerous place on the racing line. The Haas has to pull over on the side of the circuit and that triggers a safety car as both the car and the tyre have to be removed.
LAP 57/58 - There is chaos! Verstappen leads into the first corner on the restart, but Alonso gets tagged by Sainz from behind and spins out! That incident also sees the two Alpines take avoiding action and hit each other going into Turn 3! It does not look like the two see each other. Then into Turn 3, Stroll goes into the gravel! There is a lot of debris on the track and we have another red flag!
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