F1

Max Verstappen won a chaotic Australian Grand Prix, the third round of the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship, in a race that was red-flagged three times.

[PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/how-f1s-new-era-has-exposed-the-downside-of-its-most-important-rule/10450392/) That elevated Alonso back to third, ahead of Sainz – who was given a 5s penalty that dropped him from fourth to 12th. Further around the lap, Stroll went off too but continued. Both Alpines then collided and ended their races in the wall, with Before that, Hamilton had kept Alonso at bay for second, with Sainz falling away in the closing stages and Gasly had been right on his tail. Alex Albon ran sixth early on for [Williams](https://www.motorsport.com/team/williams/13/), ahead of Stroll. Verstappen’s lead vanished completely when the red flag flew as Magnussen went off at Turn 2 with four laps remaining, and his car and detached tyre needed recovering. At half distance, Verstappen led by 7s from the closely matched Hamilton and Alonso. Verstappen cruised past Hamilton with DRS on the ultra-fast run to Turn 9 and was already 2s clear when they next crossed the finish line. That meant a second standing start, with Hamilton starting on pole this time, ahead of Verstappen and the Astons. But Verstappen took control after a restart following [Alex Albon](https://www.motorsport.com/driver/alex-albon/109625/)’s big crash, passing Hamilton using DRS in the ultra-fast section ahead of Turn 9 – while Russell went out with an engine fire. Russell pitted for fresh hard tyres, dropping to seventh, allowing Hamilton to inherit the lead, ahead of Verstappen, Alonso and Stroll.

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 ...

Stewards also referred the incident to the FIA World Motor Sports Council for further investigation to determine what penalties will apply. The Australian Grand Prix Corp. “It left a lot of drivers confused as to why we needed a second red flag. Australian Oscar Piastri made the most of the disorder to finish eighth and claim his first championship points for McLaren. “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.

Today's Formula One race in Australia promises to be a fascinating battle as George Russell and Lewis Hamilton bid to catch pole-sitter Max Verstappen.

It was a crazy GP Down Under to mark the third of the season as the Dutchman picked up his second victory.

That allowed Verstappen to claim his second win of the season ahead of Hamilton, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso third. Verstappen was leading Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton when Kevin Magnussen crashed his Haas into a wall, leaving debris on the track and halting the race. Alpine drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon then crashed into each other to leave a trail of debris on the track and trigger another red flag, the third and last for the race.

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.

Max Verstappen claims that Lewis Hamilton did not properly follow Formula 1's driving conduct rules in their first-lap fight for position in the Australian ...

[PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/the-cycle-of-f1-upheaval-williams-must-end-to-rediscover-past-glories/10449522/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/how-f1s-new-era-has-exposed-the-downside-of-its-most-important-rule/10450392/) It's been a while for the team as well." "But yeah, we survived everything. But it's something for the next races to take into account." "From my side, I just tried to avoid contact," said the Red Bull driver.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fought closely throughout the Australian Grand Prix with the F1 race stewards forced to get involved.

Hamilton, meanwhile, is still in touching distance with his title rival in the championship on 38 points. That left Verstappen behind the two Mercedes drivers during the opening stages and could have made his afternoon more difficult, had it not been for three red flags in a dramatic 58-lap race in Australia. But the seven-time world champion will keep his second place in Melbourne after finishing behind the reigning world champion.

F1 fans went wild after Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin racing suit had a dark patch that looked like he had peed himself.

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 ...

[PlusPlusFormula 1 ](/f1/news/why-drivers-are-the-least-of-ferraris-f1-worries/10448581/) [PlusPlusFormula 1 ](/f1/news/ranking-the-top-10-pre-war-grand-prix-drivers/10447980/) [PlusPlusFormula 1 ](/f1/news/the-state-of-play-in-f1s-technical-silly-season/10449298/) [PlusPlusFormula 1 ](/f1/news/the-cycle-of-f1-upheaval-williams-must-end-to-rediscover-past-glories/10449257/) [PlusPlusFormula 1 ](/f1/news/how-f1s-new-era-has-exposed-the-downside-of-its-most-important-rule/10449931/) All such cars will then be permitted to resume the sprint session or the race.”

The Haas driver lined up seventh on the grid for the second restart, for a two-lap sprint to decide the winner but he moved up to fourth as cars crashed out in ...

[F1: Max Verstappen wins Australian Grand Prix after red flag chaos](https://sports.inquirer.net/503800/f1-max-verstappen-wins-australian-grand-prix-after-red-flag-chaos) After lengthy deliberations, stewards decided the race would finish according to grid positions at the restart with a lap behind a safety car minus the cars that had crashed. MELBOURNE – The Haas Formula One team have protested against Nico Hulkenberg’s seventh-place finish at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday after late red flags threw the race into confusion, the governing FIA said.

Express Sport is on hand to keep you updated with the latest reaction to a highly chaotic Australian Grand Prix.

I would probably do the same if it was the other way around. "I felt really comfortable and the pace was strong. It's great to win here, my first win, it's been a while for the team as well so very, very happy." I didn't see the replay properly but for me it feels too harsh." Then we had the chaotic restart. He came and apologised." Lewis Hamilton was left delighted after claiming his first podium finish of the new year at the Australian Grand Prix, which was disrupted by no less than three red flags and will undoubtedly go down as one of the most chaotic races in recent memory. If we would have had a safety car and then a normal rolling start we wouldn’t have had all these shunts and then you have a normal finish. He already has 10 of a possible 12 points on his licence. We’ll talk in Baku." The Dutchman said: “I am very happy to have won, but the race towards the end was a bit of a mess. I can not do it."

Max Verstappen won a chaotic Australian Grand Prix, the third round of the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship, in a race that was red-flagged three times.

[PrimePrimeFormula 1Australian GP ](/f1/news/australian-grand-prix-driver-ratings-2023/10452757/) That elevated Alonso back to third, ahead of Sainz – who was given a 5s penalty that dropped him from fourth to 12th. Further around the lap, Stroll went off too but continued. Both Alpines then collided and ended their races in the wall, with Before that, Hamilton had kept Alonso at bay for second, with Sainz falling away in the closing stages and Gasly had been right on his tail. Verstappen’s lead vanished completely when the red flag flew as Magnussen went off at Turn 2 with four laps remaining, and his car and detached tyre needed recovering. Alex Albon ran sixth early on for [Williams](https://www.motorsport.com/team/williams/13/), ahead of Stroll. At half distance, Verstappen led by 7s from the closely matched Hamilton and Alonso. Verstappen cruised past Hamilton with DRS on the ultra-fast run to Turn 9 and was already 2s clear when they next crossed the finish line. That meant a second standing start, with Hamilton starting on pole this time, ahead of Verstappen and the Astons. But Verstappen took control after a restart following [Alex Albon](https://www.motorsport.com/driver/alex-albon/109625/)’s big crash, passing Hamilton using DRS in the ultra-fast section ahead of Turn 9 – while Russell went out with an engine fire. Russell pitted for fresh hard tyres, dropping to seventh, allowing Hamilton to inherit the lead, ahead of Verstappen, Alonso and Stroll.

Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes “can close that gap” to Red Bull after scoring second to Max Verstappen in Formula 1's heavily disrupted 2023 Australian Grand Prix ...

[PrimePrimeFormula 1Australian GP ](/f1/news/the-recent-australian-gp-form-history-that-will-boost-ferrari-in-f1-2023/10449759/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1Australian GP ](/f1/news/why-piastris-f1-homecoming-will-be-a-landmark-occasion/10449894/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/how-f1s-new-era-has-exposed-the-downside-of-its-most-important-rule/10450392/) Hamilton continued: "It's really unlucky for George today. But I think it's a long project. I still don't feel connected to it.

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 claimed victory during a wild and action-packed Australian Grand Prix, overcoming battles with the Mercedes drivers, several Safety Cars and ...

After that, I think the pace of the car was quick, you could see that straight away, we were always there waiting for the DRS to open up, to have a chance to pass. “But with these red flags, the first one maybe you can do it but I think that second one I don’t really understand. They had a long wait for the whole day, so I’ll say a big thank you to them as well for sticking around. “It’s great to win here, my first win as well,” said victor Verstappen. A quick stewards’ investigation settled on no further action. After the delay, the Safety Car led the field out of the pits and back to the grid for the restart, with Hamilton leading a particularly slow formation lap – the knock-on effect being several near-misses towards the rear of the field as cars backed up. As the race neared half-distance, Hamilton expressed concerns over whether his hard tyres would make it the chequered flag, with Verstappen continuing to pull away and look more and more comfortable in the lead with a series of fastest laps. On Lap 18 there was yet more drama as Russell ground to a halt on the start/finish straight with flames coming from the back of his Mercedes, bringing out a Virtual Safety Car and once again stabilising the gaps between cars up and down the order. In the race build-up, there was a change to the grid as both Perez – who slid out of Q1 in qualifying – and Bottas – the slowest of the drivers to post a qualifying time – swapped their starting slots for the pit lane, having made various car changes under parc ferme conditions. A rolling start took the field around to the chequered flag, with Verstappen crossing the line for his first victory in Australia, as Hamilton and Alonso completed the podium ahead of Sainz, Stroll, Perez and Lando Norris. Verstappen brushed off the early drama to move into a comfortable lead as the race developed, while Hamilton held P2 and set about managing the gap back to Alonso, who was joined by the recovering Sainz and Pierre Gasly in a fight for the podium positions. A subsequent red flag for Albon’s incident brought the field back to the pits, with Hamilton leading Verstappen and Alonso, taking advantage of misfortune for Russell and Carlos Sainz, who were the two front-runners to take on fresh tyres just before the stoppage.

It was McLaren's Ron Dennis and Ekrem Sami who decided, back in the 1980s, that sponsors were no longer sponsors. Instead, they were partners. Commercial ...

[PlusPlusFormula 1Australian GP ](/f1/news/the-recent-australian-gp-form-history-that-will-boost-ferrari-in-f1-2023/10449455/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Australian GP ](/f1/news/the-convoluted-tier-system-that-reveals-an-f1-strength/10450815/) Being a sponsor suggested something altogether different.

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.

Max Verstappen criticised F1 governing body, the FIA, after he won a chaotic Australian Grand Prix.

“I thought the red flag was totally unnecessary,” he said. “I just didn’t understand why we needed a red flag. The world champion dismissed it as a mess and accused the FIA, the governing body, of being responsible.

The Australian Grand Prix promoter has been found in serious breach of FIA security protocols and safety measures after Formula 1 fans invaded the track before ...

[PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/the-cycle-of-f1-upheaval-williams-must-end-to-rediscover-past-glories/10449522/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/how-f1s-new-era-has-exposed-the-downside-of-its-most-important-rule/10450392/) the car was in an unsafe condition with possible electrical discharge".

A chaotic second red-flag restart had brought about another stoppage, and F1's race control decided to determine the running order based on how the cars were ...

[PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/how-vasseur-has-begun-ferraris-mission-to-keep-leclerc-on-side/10447929/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/why-drivers-are-the-least-of-ferraris-f1-worries/10448693/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/ranking-the-top-10-pre-war-grand-prix-drivers/10449084/)

Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to win Formula 1's 2023 Australian Grand Prix, which ended in farcical scenes following a late second red flag of three and a ...

[PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/how-vasseur-has-begun-ferraris-mission-to-keep-leclerc-on-side/10447929/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/why-drivers-are-the-least-of-ferraris-f1-worries/10448693/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/ranking-the-top-10-pre-war-grand-prix-drivers/10449084/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/the-state-of-play-in-f1s-technical-silly-season/10449427/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/the-cycle-of-f1-upheaval-williams-must-end-to-rediscover-past-glories/10449522/) [Lando Norris](https://www.motorsport.com/driver/lando-norris/289316/) and [Nico Hulkenberg](https://www.motorsport.com/driver/nico-hulkenberg/9327/) put in a thrilling battle during the pre-Magnussen red flag events and they ended up sixth and seventh ahead of home hero [Oscar Piastri](https://www.motorsport.com/driver/oscar-piastri/828689/). [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/how-f1s-new-era-has-exposed-the-downside-of-its-most-important-rule/10450392/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1Australian GP ](/f1/news/the-recent-australian-gp-form-history-that-will-boost-ferrari-in-f1-2023/10449759/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1Australian GP ](/f1/news/why-piastris-f1-homecoming-will-be-a-landmark-occasion/10449894/) [Indy IndyCarTexas ](/indycar/news/oward-palou-excited-by-texas-race-despite-missing-win/10452522/) [MGP MotoGPArgentinian GP ](/motogp/news/bagnaia-very-angry-argentina-motogp-crash/10452527/) [Indy IndyCarTexas ](/indycar/news/texas-winner-newgarden-admits-he-felt-race-slipping-away/10452556/)

Martyn Lee joins Alex Kalinauckas live in Melbourne, and Matt Kew to discuss all these talking points and more. Autosport.

Formula One fans will remember the topsy-turvy 2023 Australian Grand Prix for three red flags, carnage-laden restarts, and almost an hour of waiting for ...

“But, in the end of the day, I know it is a show, but we’re not here to just put on a good show. I’m the one driving the car, so I just feel like I could have been so unlucky for no reason. So I just think that side of it, I just think it needs a small rethink.” I didn’t see everything, but from what I could see in the car, I didn’t feel like it was needed. But, but yeah, I mean, some drivers just suicide a little bit in turn one, one like Nyck on the side, and yeah, it was, it was very close and obviously, you know, there’s a lot to gain at the time. “I don’t feel maybe like the second to last red flag was needed. I guess, maybe in the first quarter of the race, I understand it. But yeah, what was tricky was a little bit the (sunlight) being low. I mean, we didn’t have fuel, or I don’t think anyone could have done another lap, but it would have been maybe just for the fans to do one more lap of proper racing. Honestly, you know, it could have been any cars I collided with, you know, there were cars coming back on the track. After the red flag, it was a bit frustrating. I think if you would have had a safety car and then just have a normal rolling start, we wouldn’t have had all these shunts, and then you have a normal finish.

The race in Melbourne emphasized how radically F1's rules can reshape a race, for better and worse.

“Someone does something stupid and turn one locks up, and your race is over because (FIA) just want to make the show more exciting.” It all left 12 cars running in a shaken-up order, with Sainz on the podium, Nico Hülkenberg, and Yuki Tsunoda in the top five, and Alonso out of the points. Combined with the standing restarts, which create excitement but also bring the risk of more incidents, today being a case in point, it all added up to one of F1’s stranger recent races. The stewards had no valid reason (like severe weather) to call it over. He may not have been able to hold on — when The Athletic told Horner that Russell thought Mercedes could have won, he replied with a confused: “Why?” — but it at least would have created some fight and strategic variation. And this would be the one that really confused. Verstappen predictably made light work of overtaking Hamilton, recovering the lead on Lap 12 thanks to the Red Bull’s mighty straight-line advantage with DRS in use, and then established a healthy buffer to the chasing pack. One lap after the safety car was deployed, the stewards upgraded the situation to a red flag, calling all the cars off the track to allow for proper cleanup. [Mercedes](https://theathletic.com/tag/mercedes/) on the opening lap, giving George Russell the lead. Hamilton and Verstappen stayed out, meaning that although they inherited first and second, they would be at a strategic disadvantage to Russell as the time lost in the pits is reduced under the safety car due to the slow-moving train of cars. Because the red flag was called on Lap 9, drivers could switch to the hard compound tire and, with a bit of management, run to the end without pitting again. (“What is the only F1 race to have three red flags?”)