Australian Grand Prix: Max Verstappen wins chaotic race that ends behind the safety car
It was chaos in Melbourne as Max Verstappen survived a madcap shootout racing to win the Australian Grand Prix which ended under a safety car two and a half hours after it had started.
What was almost the last crazy twist came when Kevin Magnussen slammed into the wall and sent the right rear tire of his Haas flying into the air, scattering debris everywhere, triggering a red flag for the second time with just three laps to go. .
There was a 15 minute delay while debris was removed from the tires. The restart was extraordinary. Four cars collided, including a great Alpine meet of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, two more collided but managed to make it back to the pits. Debris was scattered everywhere again. With only a couple of corners completed, the red flag was waved yet again for a third, and it would eventually turn out to be the last time. They all went to the pits.
Was the race over, everyone wondered? 57 of the 58 laps had been completed and a formation lap back on the grid would move to 58. Resuming the race for the fourth time would therefore mean 59 impossible laps, one more than allowed by law. Delays and confusion ensued. The crowd performed the Mexican wave as the FIA scratched their heads and flipped through their rule book.
It was crazy
Max Verstappen won the Australian Grand Prix in a dramatic race at Albert Park in Melbourne
Lewis Hamilton had to accept that he was second best behind the Dutchman again after a dramatic race.
There was a lot of drama and tension surrounding George Russell’s retirement after his car caught fire.
Russell was one of eight drivers forced out in a race that also saw three red flags issued.
It had started very well for Russell and Lewis Hamilton as they outpaced Verstappen early on.
After a long delay: a decision. The cars simply paraded behind the pace car in the order they had restarted earlier, not where they had finished when the crash antics stopped and the third red flag was waved.
This would allow the checkered flag to be waved, lap 58 having been completed.
The sentence to return to his previous order helped Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, because he had just collided with the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, who was given a five-second penalty for tripping, and fell back. So Alonso held onto third place, with Lewis Hamilton second, as the embarrassing final lap of the calm, pace car parade took place.
Only 12 cars made it to the finish. Sainz was the last of them, almost crying over his penalty.
Before the belated drama played out, Verstappen had been the beneficiary of a Red Bull that ran like a car from another planet. Although he was passed early on by both Hamilton and the unlucky George Russell, who suffered an engine failure, the Dutchman passed in front on lap 12 leaving Hamilton for dead, and that looked like it would be that: his first win in Melbourne. . and his second in three races this season, until the unexpected late turn.
Having passed Hamilton, Verstappen opened up a 2.5-second lead in a single lap, such was his unassailable dominance, before slowing to a gallop and controlling events almost to the finish. Hamilton was holding off Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso who finished third.
Hamilton’s podium was the first for him and Mercedes in 2023.
But Verstappen rallied and took a huge lead over Hamilton and the rest of the field.
Charle Leclerc, last year’s winner, was forced to retire after the second lap of the first lap.
After two red flags as Albon and Magnussen crashed, a third was called after a dramatic restart which saw Gasly, Ocon, Sargeant and De Vries also crash, while Alonso was hit.
If it became a procession before the finish was done, the first twelve laps were fascinating. And in a boost for Mercedes after a dismal start to the season, they found form in both qualifying and the 58-lap race.
Starting second, Russell had a brilliant start, passing Verstappen into the first corner. It was excellent, and Verstappen was unusually late. Hamilton then worked his way up hard to pass the world champion at turn 3.
“He pushed me off the track,” Verstappen complained. ‘I was ahead at the apex.’ No action was taken or needed.
Anyway, Mercedes was in front. Game on. The season was coming to light after the one-sidedness of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
The two Silver Arrows could now act in unison to thwart Verstappen’s inevitable fight. Verstappen, meanwhile, was without Perez, who started at the back after a crash in qualifying.
But it was not that simple. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was caught by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. It wasn’t Stroll’s fault. Leclerc risked his arm on the outside. Leclerc crashed and the safety car was deployed.
As the action restarted, Alex Albon lost control of his Williams at Turn 6 and the safety car came out again. Now, Mercedes has made a maverick call: brought in Russell for a tire change. Why give up the lead and put it in traffic on your return?
No one else at the top stopped, and the leader was the last man he needed to gamble. He also let Hamilton fight Verstappen on his own.
Fate made it worse: a red flag. They all entered, including Russell in seventh place. Toto Wolff took the radio to say: ‘That screwed us. But you can still get to the front and a podium or better.
There was a lot of confusion about what the race organizers would decide to do on the last lap.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was visibly distraught when he received a five-second penalty for a collision with Alonso that saw him drop from fourth to 12th in a pointless weekend.
The race ended under a safety car as Hamilton was second and Alonso took the podium.
Russell generously responded: ‘Yeah, it’s not your fault guys. That was a good decision.
When the race restarted from a standstill after a 16-minute break, Russell did well to get up to fifth. Hamilton kept Verstappen up front well. But Verstappen had no need to take chances there, such was his advantage, as he demonstrated with his decisive move down the back straight. Now You See Me, Now You Do not.
Russell’s day went from good to bad and worse when his engine blew on lap 17. “When it’s not your day, it’s not your day,” he mused.
“Alonso is fast,” said Hamilton, as he held on to second place and worried if his tires would last until the end. They did until Magnussen intervened.