Max Verstappen has won the Formula 1® Rolex ® Australian Grand Prix 2023 for the first time, in a dramatic opera of a race featuring Yellow Flags, three Red Flags, a couple of standing restarts (and one behind the Safety Car) and a Virtual Safety Car.
Even before the race ended in chaotic scenes, the Red Bull driver did not have things his own way, following both Mercedes-Benzes early in the race. But once the race settled down so did the Dutchman, picking off Lewis Hamilton and stretching the lead –carefully, so as not to overstress his tyres.
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Then a late-race Red Flag left him facing a two-lap sprint to the flag. The restart was chaotic and the race was promptly stopped again – with both Alpines in the fence, a smashed Williams and Haas and one driver, Carlos Sainz, facing a five-second penalty when (and if) the race restarted (for tipping Fernando Alonso off the track at the first corner).
What came next was a one-lap restart, behind the Safety Car, and Verstappen won – in spite of the drama, and a short trip across the Albert Park infield with 10 laps to go. The straight-line speed of his Red Bull was too much for the opposition and Formula 1’s dominant team has now won all three races in the 2023 season, albeit in odd circumstances.
Hamilton was more than happy with second place, given that he was almost never out of reach of Alonso’s Aston Martin. The two world champions played cat and dog for most of the race, Hamilton keeping Alonso out of the 1sec DRS range, and the Spaniard keeping one eye on his mirrors to watch the trailing Sainz Ferrari and Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin.
Verstappen, Hamilton and Sainz fought their battles solo. Charles Leclerc was forced wide and out of the race on the opening lap and any hopes that George Russell had of winning lasted only until the first Safety Car. After a great start from the front row, he led until a Red Flag prompted by Alex Albon’s crash – but just before the race was stopped he had pitted, from the lead, under Yellow Flag.
That bold decision proved to be a false dawn; when the race restarted for the first time, all the drivers in the top 10 were on hard tyres and Russell had given away track position for nothing, and was seventh. Ten laps into the restart his Mercedes-Benz power unit caught fire and he parked on the pit straight.
So the final order was Verstappen, Hamilton and Alonso then Sainz – then the 5 second penalty kicked in, dropping the Ferrari to 12th. That promoted Stroll to fourth ahead of one of the most impressive drivers of the day, Sergio Perez. After starting from the pitlane and making an early pitstop to change onto harder tyres the Mexican picked his way through the field to what became fifth.
Lando Norris was sixth, handing McLaren its first points of the season after a tense battle with Haas’s Nico Hulkenberg, who was close behind.
Oscar Piastri was right in the battle for the final point for most of the race, and made McLaren’s weekend much better with points for eighth ahead of Zhou Guanyu and Yuki Tsunoda.
The Formula 1 World Championship now takes a four-week break before Round 4 at Baku, Azerbaijan on 28-30 April.
