Max Verstappen held off a resurrected Lewis Hamilton to win the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, tightening his grip on the world title.
The world champion started from pole position, and despite being passed by Mercedes duo George Russell and Hamilton early on. He kept his cool to win a race that was red flagged three times due to numerous crashes.
Hamilton finished second, clear of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who now has three podiums in three races this season.
“We had a very poor start, lap one I was careful because I had a lot to lose,” said Verstappen. He won the season opener in Bahrain and finished second in Jeddah a fortnight ago.
“After that, the vehicle picked up speed. I don’t know, I don’t really comprehend these red flags. It was a bit of a shambles, but we kept a decent pace and won, so that’s all that matters.
Last year’s winner, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, spun out on the first circuit. While Russell’s car caught fire on track 19 and his race was also over.
Verstappen’s victory was his first in Melbourne, and Red Bull’s first in Australia since Sebastian Vettel’s success in 2011.
Sergio Perez, his teammate and winner in Saudi Arabia, sliced through the field to finish fifth. After qualifying last due to brake problems, trailing Lance Stroll in the other Aston Martin.
Red Bull’s Late Drama
The Red Bull victory came despite incredible late drama, which saw a red flag fly with two laps remaining. When Verstappen had a comfortable lead over Hamilton and Alonso, meaning they had a bunched restart for an all-out assault to the finish.
But the race descended into pandemonium when Alonso was clipped by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. As they jostled for position and sent into a spin, causing a chain reaction that resulted in multiple other cars collapsing.
Sainz was penalised five seconds, placing 12th, and the race was restarted.
It resumed after a long delay for a single lap behind a safety car in the order of the previous start, with only 12 cars remaining.
“I didn’t expect to be second, so I’m very grateful,” said Hamilton, a seven-time world champion.
“I’m driving as hard as I can and working as hard as I can, but considering we’ve been down on performance and straight pace, to be up there fighting with Aston is incredible.”
Lando Norris in a McLaren finished sixth, Niko Hulkenberg in a Haas seventh, and rookie Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren eighth on his home track.
