Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrate at the parc ferme during the Australian F1 Grand Prix.
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Max Verstappen held Lewis Hamilton to his first Australian Grand Prix win after a chaotic race, which ended in a procedurally safe auto lap after a franticly late restart.
Verstappen looked to be heading for a comfortable win as he regained the lead after losing to George Russell and Hamilton in a frantic opening game, but Kevin Magnussen’s collision and subsequent second red flag of the game race set up a two lap sprint to the finish line from a standing start.
The defending world champion stood in front of Hamilton, before a collision between third-placed Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz behind him caused another series of collisions, with Alpine teammates Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon remove each other from the lime line. scoring position.
This was followed by a third red flag, along with further confusion and controversy as there was a long wait before the FIA decided to restore order from before the restart because previous cars had not gone enough. far on the track to confirm the new classification. before the red flag appears.
That meant Alonso finished third, but Sainz was left behind with a 5-second penalty for causing a collision that sent him down to 12th place, leaving Ferrari meaningless after Charles Leclerc retired in the first round. .
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More than two and a half hours after the race started, Verstappen took the checkered flag unimpeded and finished his second win in three races this season, while Hamilton took the first podium of the campaign.
Russell, who dropped the lead when pitted in Safety Car conditions – not expecting the next red flag – when Alex Albon rushed out in round 6, withdrew in round 18 after a technical error.
