Max Verstappen survived chaos, controversy and fireworks to win the Australian Grand Prix for the first time.
Starting from pole, Verstappen was passed into Turn 1 by the Mercedes of George Russell. Moments later, perennial rival Lewis Hamilton also forced himself through, leaving the Dutchman in third place and potentially facing a long afternoon ahead.
A quiet race wasn't on the cards though, as Williams' Alex Albon crashed out, triggering the first red flag. That secured second place for Verstappen, as Russell had already stopped. He was soon past Hamilton and into the lead when the Grand Prix restarted.
The second red flag was shown near the end of the race after Kevin Magnussen's Haas hit a barrier and spewed debris over the track.
The restart looked set to turn the race into a sprint to the finish but a third red flag was thrown within seconds. There were multiple incidents, including a collision between the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc continued his miserable start to the season; the Monégasque beaching his SF-23 in the gravel on the opening lap of the race. Russell's race also finished early; his Mercedes suffering a rare engine failure.
Hamilton and Fernando Alonso claimed the second and third places on the podium.
The season continues at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on the 30th of April.
Click here to read the Motor Sport race report from Albert Park.
Click here to read Max Verstappen's Motor Sport profile.
Browse this email for the best Formula 1 collectibles.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario