F1 Australia

Max Verstappen won a controversial Australian Grand Prix to take the world championship lead, with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso also on the podium.

With Verstappen gone, Hamilton and Alonso were racing one another, closely matched in lap times as they tried to ensure they could take their tyres to the end of the race before a late red-flag forced a tense restart with two laps remaining. Verstappen breezed back to the front and opened up a lead with a race pace that was formidable even by the standards Red Bull have already set this season. Out front, however, Verstappen’s advantage was swiftly displayed, as he opened up almost a three second gap on Hamilton within just two laps. Another safety car called when Alex Albon lost the rear and crashed out in the Williams on lap seven and Mercedes opted to pit Russell early while Hamilton and Verstappen stayed out. Verstappen comfortably beat the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton into second and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso into third, with his teammate Lance Stroll in fourth at Albert Park. A late red flag proved tense but Verstappen rode it out with calm control as behind him six cars went out in a chaotic restart – forcing another red flag.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen has claimed his first Australian Grand Prix in remarkable circumstances in a chaotic Formula 1 race filled with drama from the ...

“It left a lot of drivers confused as to why we needed a second red flag. “It was very unexpected,” he said. On the restart on lap 55, Verstappen was able to hold off Hamilton to the first turn as bedlam unfolded behind his Red Bull, resulting in a reshuffle of the finishing order. The race resumed with Verstappen stalking Hamilton at the front of the field and the two-time world champion used his Red Bull’s superior speed to take the lead on Lap 12. “Of course we are happy to win the race, but I think the race itself towards the end was a bit of a mess with all the calls,” Verstappen said. Verstappen was pleased to clinch victory but queried the decision by stewards to issue a red flag after a crash on lap 55 of the 58-lap race instead of deploying a safety car.

The Ferrari driver was penalised for contact with Fernando Alonso dropping him from fourth to 12th.

[On the Lap 57 restart following the Kevin Magnussen red flag, ](https://racingnews365.com/verstappen-wins-after-late-race-chaos-in-red-flagged-australian-grand-prix)Sainz tagged Fernando Alonso spinning him out as the race was again suspended following further incidents. [Sainz was later hit with further punishment by the stewards.](https://racingnews365.com/further-punishment-for-sainz-after-australian-gp-time-penalty) [Formula 1](/formula-1) stewards for his [Australian](/formula-1-circuits/australian-gp) Grand Prix penalty, labelling it as "the biggest disgrace."

All-time great podium features the two-time defending champion, along with Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso.

Rookie team-mate Logan Sargeant had a quiet weekend in the sister car. “With all the accidents, it was a good chance to score points this weekend, so I’m very sorry to the team. Williams’ slippery FW45 was rapid around the streets of Albert Park, particularly in the hands of Alexander Albon, who qualified a promising eighth. When the pack bunched together at the tricky right-hander Leclerc got a tap from Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and wound up beached in the gravel. Leclerc has had a wretched start to the 2023 campaign and his woes continued in Australia, an event he utterly dominated 12 months ago. That restored the spun Alonso up to third, but Sainz was penalized for the incident and handed a five-second penalty, plunging him down the order because of how close the field was over the line. The only certainty at that stage was Verstappen first, Hamilton second, but behind it was a mess. Haas driver Magnussen, running 12th, drifted wide through Turn 2 and clipped the wall, removing his rear-right tire from the wheel rim, and prompting the deployment of the Safety Car. Hamilton held second, keeping a buffer to third-placed Alonso, while Carlos Sainz held fourth for Ferrari. The first red flag came on the eighth lap of 58, after Williams’ Alexander Albon binned it at Turn 6, dragging extensive debris and gravel onto the track. Max Verstappen claimed victory in the Australian Grand Prix to open up a 15-point championship lead over teammate Sergio Perez. Max Verstappen won the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

With a third red flag being brought out, the FIA elected to go for another restart, although this time it was behind a safety car and the cars only went around ...

[PrimePrimeFormula 1Australian GP ](/f1/news/the-recent-australian-gp-form-history-that-will-boost-ferrari-in-f1-2023/10449759/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1Australian GP ](/f1/news/the-critical-calls-preceding-verstappens-melbourne-march-and-f1s-red-flag-saga/10452648/) All such cars will then be permitted to resume the sprint session or the race."

Max Verstappen's victory in the 2023 Australian Grand Prix was far from straightforward... Watch the highlights here.

[Russell's race soon ended with his engine in flames](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.its-just-such-a-shame-says-mercedes-russell-after-retiring-with-power-unit.1BhfnePPs7NbkXPJg5yOc1.html), with team mate Lewis Hamilton seemingly set for second place and Aston Martin's Alonso close by in P3. [Williams' Alex Albon crashed out at high speed](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.must-see-williams-alex-albon-crashes-out-of-promising-sixth-place-in-the.5pU9MTNZpMNFyvIm9m35Z1.html), bringing out a Safety Car – during which leader Russell pitted – and then a red flag, allowing Mercedes' rivals to take a free stop for tyres. [Charles Leclerc made contact with Lance Stroll](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.its-the-worst-start-to-the-season-ever-says-ferraris-leclerc-as-he-laments.6l47BVt3xKLFvYliofwJYU.html) and spun out of the race, bringing out a Safety Car.

After a hugely dramatic Australian Grand Prix that featured three red flags, Formula 1's officiators are once more coming under scrutiny for their ...

"How the hell you can put a red flag before?" "(In) the second half, and especially with four laps to go, I feel like you ruin a lot of things. And, because they try and put on a show, you just get unlucky, and everything can get taken away from you all of a sudden. I guess, maybe in the first quarter of the race, I understand it. "I'm not going to disagree with this red flag," Sky Sports F1's David Croft said. "We come all the way to Australia, but it's so much hard work to drive 56, 55 laps perfectly. [Stream the biggest moments on NOW](https://www.nowtv.com/promo/sky-sports?dcmp=articlelink) There was little dispute over the final red flag, with the heavy impact the Alpines experienced and the need to check on their safety - along with all the resulting debris and chaos - a valid reason for the stoppage. It's just strange, but I do understand safety-wise as well." The McLaren driver said: "I kind of hate it. With both the debris and the possibility of the race finishing behind the Safety Car in mind, another red flag was thrown, setting up a theoretical two-lap sprint to the end from a standing start. The clean-up operation began with a recovery vehicle coming on track and lifting the Williams off the ground, but as that was going on, a red flag was thrown with the presence of debris and gravel on track the reason for the decision.

That led to a standing restart in which Carlos Sainz tapped Fernando Alonso into a spin, both Alpines crashed out, and Williams' Logan Sargeant also collected ...

Race Control determined that the last point at which it was possible to the determine the position of all cars was when the last grid was formed. “Very shortly thereafter, there was a further Red Flag incident within the first two corners of the resumed race and Race Control had to determine what the order of the grid ought to be for the next restart based on Art 57.3. They suggested that if that line was used then the starting grid position of their car would have been different. “Having considered all the arguments made, we made the following determination… That led to a standing restart in which Carlos Sainz tapped Fernando Alonso into a spin, both Alpines crashed out, and Williams' Logan Sargeant also collected AlphaTauri's Nyck de Vries. “In this instance, the race was resumed after another Red Flag incident,” they wrote.