Max Verstappen battled it out with both Mercedes drivers and survived three red flag stoppages to win the Australian GP.
The race ended under unusual circumstances after a chaotic second re-start that wiped out a good chunk of the grid. Despite spinning out at the re-start, Fernando Alonso was able to hold on to this podium result, finishing third behind Lewis Hamilton.
- Verstappen leads standings by 15 points over Perez
- Sainz handed penalty for clash with Alonso
Russell retires with power unit issue
Verstappen didn’t have the best start, losing out to both Mercedes drivers as the lights went out in Melbourne. George Russell was running in the lead, ahead of teammate Hamilton, when Alex Albon’s crash brought out the Safety Car for the second time.
Both, Russell and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz opted to pit for fresh tyres under the Safety Car – a decision that saw them lose a handful of positions, only for the race to be red flagged moments later. Russell went from leading the race to slotting into seventh place for the restart.
Out in front, Hamilton did fend off Verstappen, but not for long. Taking full advantage of DRS, Verstappen breezed past the Mercedes driver along the back straight and started pulling away. Although Russell had made it up to P5, on Lap 18 his car came to a fiery halt with a power unit issue.
Restart chaos in Melbourne
Just when it looked like Verstappen would take a comfortable win, the Australian GP served up even more chaos. Kevin Magnussen lost his rear-right wheel after touching the wall exiting Turn 2. With debris spread across the track, the race had to be red flagged with just two laps to go.
The restart ended up being mayhem, with Sainz sending Alonso into a spin and catching out several drivers behind, who had to take evasive action. Pierre Gasly collided with Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon, Logan Sargeant ran into the back of Nyck de Vries, and even Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll went off. The race was red flagged yet again.
After several minutes of confusion, it was decided that the previous restart’s order would be used, minus the cars that had crashed out. This meant that Alonso was restored to third place.
Since the Safety Car was leading the field to the end, there was no overtaking, and the surviving 12 cars simply crossed the chequered flag. “[It] was a bit of mess but we survived everything, we had good pace on the car today again, and we won, which, of course, is the most important,” said Verstappen, who scored his first-ever Australian GP win.
No points for Ferrari
Ferrari only had one driver running in the race, with Charles Leclerc crashing out at the start itself. However, they walked away with no points scored in Melbourne after Sainz was handed a five second time penalty for his clash with Alonso. This dropped him all the way down to 12th place.
Lance Stroll ended up fourth, followed by Sergio Perez, who progressed from the back of the grid following his qualifying crash. After a disappointing start to the season, both McLaren drivers finished in the points, with Lando Norris sixth and Oscar Piastri eighth. Nico Hulkenberg separated the McLaren duo in seventh place; Zhou Guanyu and Yuki Tsunoda completed the top 10.
Only 12 drivers finished the race, making Valtteri Bottas and Sainz the only finishers to not score any points.
2023 F1 drivers' championship
His latest win gives Max Verstappen an added boost in the standings, and he’s now leading the championship by 15 points from teammate Perez. Alonso is third overall, a further nine points behind Perez.
There’s a lengthy break in the F1 calendar now, with the next race – the Azerbaijan GP – scheduled for April 28-30.
2023 Australian GP results
