And here’s Kieran Pender’s sterling prose from Albert Park…
Here is Giles Richards’ race report…
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Giles Richards' race report
Verstappen, Hamilton and Alonso are on the podium and the Dutch national anthem is ringing out as the Jack Brabham Trophy is handed to our winner. Well done, Max – the first Australian grand prix is always the sweetest (or so I’m told).
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Keith Latham is blowing off more steam than George Russell’s car: “Anybody missing the fact of the double standards when Verstappen and Hamilton clashed and Verstappen stopped Hamilton winning his 8th world title there was no last lap race order then.”
Alex in London is drawing breath:
“What a race, eh? It’s unlucky for Sainz that LeClerc wasn’t in 4th, because he could have driven the restart lap at 20 mph, let Sainz finish ten seconds ahead of him, and Carlos would have finished 3rd.”
Alex, with that tactical acument, you need a gig in the pits.
An unsmiling Max Verstappen claims victory: “I was careful. I had a lot to win and a lot to lose. It was a bit of a mess but we survived everything and we won.”
Lewis Hamilton, with 18-points in his pocket, thanks Melbourne: “It’s put on a helluva show. I still feel uncomfortable in the car though. I don’t feel connected to it. It’s a long project but considering we’re down on pace compared to the Red Bull, today is an amazing result. It’s going to be tough to close the gap but not impossible.”
How did Oscar Piastri climb from ninth to eighth? Nico Hülkenberg parked his car on the cool-down lap. The Aussie will have to buy him a beer for that one. What a bizarre finish to a brilliant (yet bonkers) race.
Max Verstappen wins the Australian Grand Prix!
The two-time world champion finally has his Australian GP victory for Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton runs second for Mercedes, Fernando Alonso gets third for Aston Martin and Melbourne-raised rookie Oscar Piastri wins his first world championship points in eighth for McLaren. What a wild ride it’s been at Albert Park today!
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58/58 Here we go! It will be a rolling start with no overtaking and, barring complete disaster, Max Verstappen will cruise to victory in the Australian GP. A strange end to a strange day.
Fernando Alonso (third) and Carlos Sainz Jr. (fourth) are under investigation for that prang in the last lap and it seems the latter is now going to earn a five-second time penalty. That’s bad news for the man from Ferrari but potentially great news for Nico Hülkenberg (Haas) who, despite a long career in F1, has never earned a podium. Carlos is ropable. “That is not acceptable!” he screams, pleading for officials to wait until this lap is over to argue his case. “They need to wait until the end of the race and talk with me. It’s too severe!”
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Okay here’s the dealio… it seems the idea of a standing start has been kyboshed and instead the cars will go for one lap under Safety Car, and take the chequered flag without racing. Verstappen can put the champagne on ice and Oscar Piastri can too – he’s about to earn his first points for McLaren as a Formula One driver!
Here’s how they’ll start (and very likely finish):
Verstappen
Hamilton
Alonso
Sainz
Stroll
Perez
Norris
Hulkenberg
Piastri
Zhou
Tsunoda
Bottas
Drivers are suiting up. Crews are cranking away at the cars. The crowd are on their feet chanting for a fitting finale to this dramatic Australian GP. The only one not on edge is Lewis Hamilton. He’s chilling out backs, headphones on and grooving to some beats.
Good news for the crowd’s cries of “One. More. Lap”. Despite calls for a finish in the current order under the safety car, we have confirmation that we have a 12-car restart coming. So one final, fast and furious racing lap coming!
Kieren Pender has his backside trackside and describes the scene thus:
“This is madness! Confusion in the stands, all the fans want a restart, chanting “One. More. Lap!”
As we wait a decision on a restart, we’re seeing fathers and sons deep in conversation in the pits. Anthony Hamilton and son Lewis. Lance Stroll and his father Lawrence, the billionaire owner of the Aston Martin team. The other factor here is that night is falling fast in Melbourne. Will the shadows of the treelined track affect vision for the drivers? The crowd are impatient but no one has left their seat and a Mexican wave has started up.
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Shadows lengthen across Albert Park as race organisers argue about what happens next. Oscar Piastri hasn’t left his car. Maybe the gravity of sitting seventh and having both McLarens in the top ten has welded him to the seat? Alonso claims his car is okay and wants a restart, with him starting in third.
It's another red flag!
57/58 That was bedlam! The Aston Martin HQ is in uproar as Fernando Alonso crashes out after a nudge from Carlos Sainz Jr’s Ferrari. Will they restart this race as a one-lap sprint given the carnage here?
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56/58 Verstappen won the jump and he leads into the first turn but there’s chaos behind. Perez is gone. Logan Sargeant too. Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin is in the thick of it too. There’s two Alpines spinning and smoking and… good lord. It’s going to be another red flag!
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It’s all on the line. Can Hamilton taste victory? Will Max Verstappen get third time lucky and win the start – and the race? If he gets to turn first his Red Bull will do the rest. Or is there a dark horse driver to come from the clouds? Will it be Oscar Piastri, climbing one spot more to claim first F1 points on his home track? We’re about to find out, folks. Strap in for a fast finish!
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Race order for the two-lap sprint
Verstappen
Hamilton
Alonso
Sainz
Gasly
Stroll
Perez
Norris
Hulkenberg
Ocon
Piastri
Zhou
Tsunoda
Bottas
Sargeant
De Vries
56/58 We are a minute from resumption and cars are being released from pit lane. Third start of the race! In the long shadows of a Melbourne sunset, it will be a thrill ride of two laps to the chequered flag. Will Max Verstappen win his first Australian GP? Or will we see another twist in this tale?
Strange days at the Aussie GP. Two hours of racing and two laps to go! Max Verstappen can’t wait. He’s back in the car already. Lewis Hamilton looks much more at ease. As Magnussen’s wheel rim debris is cleared from the track, Daniel Ricciardo and George Russell are swapping ideas in pit lane.
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Red flag sets up dramatic finale
56/58 We are back at a standstill awaiting a standing start in the Australian GP. Tyres are cooling at Albert Park and tempers are heating up and metal debris is being cleared from the track for maximum driver safety. Who are the big winners here? Who has what tyres available? Verstappen only has softs while Hamilton has a brand new set of mediums. Fascinating final act about to ignite!
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55/58 The red flag is out! We are stopping the race and everyone is pulling into the pits. Another massive controversy in this eventful Australian Grand Prix.
54/58 Magnussen the Haas driver totally missed that corner – why? Either way it’s going to throw the race into chaos again. The safety car is out. Will the red flag follow. There is heaps of debris on the track.
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53/58 Magnussen appears to have clipped the wall on the outside of Turn 2! He’s in trouble and may be out. Wreckage flying all over the track.
52/58 Sergio Perez holds onto sixth, a grand effort given he and Valtteri Bottas started today from the pit lane, after opting to change their cars under parc ferme regulations. Perez failed to set a time in qualifying after beaching his car in the gravel trap due to an engine braking issue.
51/58 We are nearing the climactic stages of this 300km race. What twists and turns remain as Verstappen continues to push for this fastest lap point.
50/58 Hamilton continues to hold off Alonso but it’s going down to the wire!
49/58 McLaren are closing in on their first points of the season as Norris challenges Hulkenberg at Turn 11 only to be defied, with Norris accusing him of switching his line to save his skin.
48/58 Scratch that last flurry of concern. Verstappen is merely pushing for that extra point for fastest lap (currently held by Perez).
47/58 What’s this? A little trouble for Verstappen. The Red Bull went briefly off track outside of the penultimate corner. He’s lost a few seconds, but still has 7.6s advantage. Is there trouble in paradise? Stay tuned!
46/58 Verstappen continues to lead from Hamilton and Alonso as we enter the final stages
Hamilton
Alonso
Sainz
Gasly
Stroll
Perez
Hulkenberg
Norris
Ocon
Piastri
Magnussen
Zhou
Tsunoda
Bottas
Sargeant
De Vries
45/58 Max Verstappen holds the lead from Hamilton and Alonso. Max said in qualifying: “The whole weekend it has been very tough to get the tyres in the right window, to push straight away.” It looks like Red Bull hav got it right today.
44/58 Perez has passed Hulkenberg into Turn 11. Norris is firmly on the ginger of the Haas and looking for an opening.
43/58 Sergio Pérez’s best lap, set with DRS assistance, is confirmed as 1:20.967 – that’s three tenths better than anyone else. Hamilton is now 11 seconds adrift and Alonso is 1.27 behind in third. Carlos Sainz Jr. is still fourth and Pierre Gasly is fifth. Hamilton continues to worry about his tyres.
42/58 Perez is 1.1s behind Hulkenberg and is eyeing off Turn 9 for an overtaking manouvre. Verstappen’s lead is out to 10.75.
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41/58 Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) has logged his fastest lap and is now less than one second behind Norris in eighth. Meanwhile, Hulkenberg has Norris just 1.5s behind him.
40/58 As the drivers hold their nerves on hard hot tyres, Logan Sargeant blinks first and makes a post-restart pit stop in his Williams. He’s back out on Hard tyres and making his move.
39/58 Here’s where we sit, folks
Verstappen
Hamilton
Alonso
Sainz
Gasly
Stroll
Hulkenberg
Norris
Perez
Ocon
Piastri
Magnussen
Zhou
Tsunoda
Bottas
De Vries
Sargeant
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38/58 With 20 laps to go, Verstappen and Hamilton both log lap records. Meanwhile the pink Alpine of Gasly is making a move on fourth spot.
37/58 Verstappen closing on a 10 second lead now as Hamilton tries desperately and drives masterfully to keep Alonso out of his DRS zone. Cat and mouse!
36/58 A shout out to a true Australian Formula One legend on high – Sir Jack Brabham would have been 97 today. Vale Black Jack, hope you’re enjoying the race from the pearly pits!
35/58 Verstappen and Hamilton are moving quicker now in first and second and may make a move on a lap record time soon.
34/58 Verstappen’s Red Bull is now moving serenely further in front, 9.5 seconds to be exact. “I’ve been on the podium once, but I want to be on a different step this time,” Max told us.
33/58 There’s a battle royale for 12th as Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) and Kevin Magnussen (Haas) jostle for ascendency.
32/58 Lando Norris is hanging onto eighth but Perez is right on his hammer. The McLaren driver is being told by his team not to defend too much – will he obey the order?
31/58 Lewis Hamilton is yammering away about the tyres. Despite the restart, they’re getting quicker and quicker but he’s worried they won’t last the distance and he’ll have to get back on the retreads to finish!
30/58 Hamilton is sweating now with Alonso only 1.2s behind, with Sainz a further 1.6s behind him. Verstappen is 8.7 seconds further in front.
29/58 Alonso is closing to within a second of Hamilton so we may have a move for the silver dais position shortly. Meanwhile Sainz is hanging onto fourth but he has two cars close behind. Action aplenty at the front and in the middle!
28/58 Max Verstappen is 8.2 seconds in front of Hamilton and McLaren’s Piastri is closing in on his first F1 points on home soil. Meanwhile, teammate Lando Norris sits eighth.
27/58 Piastri has swept past Tsunoda and is now hunting Esteban in 10th. Alonso sits third and Carlos Sainz Jr’s Ferrari is fourth with Pierre Gasly in fifth.
26/58 Lewis Hamilton is in Tyre Whisperer mode as he hangs onto second for Mercedes, albeit now 7.5 seconds adrift of Verstappen. Oscar Piastri has slipped back to 12th but he’s chasing 11th and a return to the top ten.
25/58 Exciting battles in the midfield as Esteban Ocon in his lipstick pink Ferrari man feints a half-defensive move at Turn 3, before diving to the inside and taking 10th place!
24/58 Lando Norris is five seconds up the road in eighth spot and Sergio’s Red Bull is closing fast. What a piece of machinery this car is!
23/58 Sergio Perez is working his way through the slower traffic and is now ninth, passing Ocon and Oscar Piastri along the way. Having started this race in the pits, the Mexican driver is getting plenty from his RB19 today!
22/58 Lewis Hamilton is still second but he’s sweating on these hard tyres. He radios his pit crew to query whether these rubbers will last to the end?
21/58 Max Verstappen looks to be managing his tyres and has eased back to lead by 4.3 seconds from Hamilton and Alonso. Piastri has slipped back to 11th overtaken by Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri).
20/58 Every cloud has a silver lining and Russell’s retirement puts Oscar Piastri into the top 10. Local crowd going wild for the 21-year-old rookie.
19/58 We are seeing replays of George Russell’s implosion and it sounds suspiciously like a power unit failure. That’s Russell’s first mechanical retirement since he joined the Silver Arrows at the start of 2022. VSC is ending. Verstappen is still over three seconds in front.
18/58 The virtual safety car is out as smoke billows from Russell’s Mercedes. He’s OK but the car is far from it, beached safely but burning quickly. Cars will reduce speed by 40% as Russell sheepishly slopes off W14.
17/58 George Russell’s car is on fire – literally! He’d jut hit turn 11 when flames began leaping from his undercarriage. Poor George! He’s gone from leading this race to out of it in the space of an hour!
16/58 Max Verstappen has sparked a cigar and is cruising out front. He’s 3.5 seconds ahead of Hamilton. With all the drivers on Hard tyres, there are no more pit stops scheduled so barring mechanical misfires, Max looks to have it in the bag for Red Bull.
15/ 58 Carlos Sainz has seized sixth and Aston Martin’s Stroll is back in seventh. Verstappen now leads by almost four seconds from Hamilton and Alonso in second and third.
14/58 Russell’s race will be fascinating. He led early, fell to seventh and has now fought back to fourth after taking advantage of DRS to pass Pierre Gasly. Lance Stroll is again making a mockery of his name by racing onto the Alpine’s tail. Gasly under pressure!
13/58 Since taking the lead from Hamilton before Turn 9, Verstappen has floored it and is a full two seconds ahead by the end of the lap. Hamilton second, Alonso third, Russell recovering nicely to find fourth. Piastri still in 11th.
12/58 A straight line appears, DRS is enabled and Verstappen swoops! He sails past Hamilton on the outside and is officially in front. That Red Bull certainly has wings.
11/58 Unlike Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton got away nicely and he continues to lead. Verstappen meanwhile has troubles in front and behind as has to go defensive to keep Fernando Alonso off his tail.
10/58 Verstappen misses the standing start! That will make Max mad. Oscar Piastri is sitting 11th, George Russell has moved up from seventh to fifth.
A fresh twist as we now face a standing start on the hard tyres. Verstappen is desperately trying to warm up these fresh tyres to go hard at Hamilton and snatch the lead. The big winners from this Red Flag are Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and Nico Hulkenberg (Haas), who will line up fifth and sixth for the restart.
Carlos Sainz is the big loser. He resumes in 11th! Here we go (again!)
We are a few minutes away from a resumption here and almost all the pit crews have used the time wisely to bolt on a set of hard tyres and throw up a Hail Mary that the fresh rubbers can last until the end of the race without pitting further.
Here’s how they’ll resume…
1) Hamilton
2) Verstappen
3) Alonso
4) Stroll
5) Gasly
6) Hulkenberg
7) Russell
8) Tsunoda
9/58 The race has been suspended and the racers are returning to pit lane. Frustrating! But it’s a safety issue as Alex Albon has hit the wall at Turn Seven, shunted from behind it appears, but he’s safe and sound as a pound. Still the Williams car is on the kerb, and the Safety Car is back out. George Russell is back in seventh. Meanwhile, Hamilton is griping he’s been sold short by not having pitted, but the fact is he’s now got a free pit stop and is leading the GP. The Red Flag is out and we are heading back for a standing start, likely on the hard tyres for what may become a straight-out sprint.
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8/58 George Russell is in the pits and Lewis Hamilton now leads. With the DRS enabled, Verstappen is now right on Hamilton’s hammer, but Lewis has DRS of his own as he’s within one second of Russell. Big decisions to make at Mercedes!
7/58 DRS is on. The top three are extending their lead, with Verstappen 1.4 seconds clear of Sainz in fourth, who is around one second clear of Alonso in fifth.
6/58 George Russell is gleefully complaining of being “attacked by my own teammate” Verstappen is still in third, but he looks to be closing on Hamilton. How long can the British former champion keep him at bay?
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5/58 Esteban Ocon has rolled the dice and got rid of his soft tyres. He’s bolted on a set of Hards, and looks to be trying to make a move. Sergio Perez has also pitted, this time for a set of Mediums.
4/58 Verstappen still in third as Mercedes drivers lead by almost a second and try to extend their lead while they can. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) is fifth.
3/58 As George Russell continues to lead his teammate Lewis Hamilton, just to confirm: all the leading runners are on medium compound rubber, with the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon (ninth and 11th on the grid) the first runners on soft tyres.
2/ 58 Sensational start! Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Logan Sargeant from Williams clipped each other in the first frenzy of this race and Leclerc is beached in the gravel and is now officially walking off the track. Verstappen sits third with Carlos Sainz Jr. (Ferrari) in fourth.
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And away we go!
1/58 Wild start as Max Verstappen misses the start and immediately fall back to third. Instead it’s Russell and Hamilton muscling their way through to 1-2 and Charles Leclerc, last year’s winner, has spun out after 1.2km! Safety car is out.
Tyre covers are off and we’re seeing mainly… mediums. Seems no one is rolling the dice on softs. There are too many unknowns and everyone is playing it safe for now. That will change – but when? Off they go for the formation lap.
This year’s talking point is a resurfaced Albert Park track with some radical changes. Organisers have introduced a fourth DRS zone along the back of the circuit between Turns 6 and 11, and removed the chicane at Turns 9 and 10. The drastic remodelling and Max Verstappen’s record lap times in yesterday’s qualifying are fuelling hopes this year’s Australian GP will be the “fastest race in Melbourne ever”. We’re about to find out if that’s true…
Can McLaren score their first points of 2023? In a turbulent season so far, they had another disappointing day in qualifying, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finishing up 13th and 16th on the grid.
However, McLaren CEO Zak Brown likes their chances: “I think we can get both cars into the points. It’s so close, but I’m confident for today,” he tells reporters. “We should be further up; this is not where we should be, but we’ll keep our heads down.”
Speaking of heads, Max Verstappen has his in his helmet on and his eyes on the prize. We are getting very close to lights out, folks.
Toto Wolff, boss of Mercedes is on grid with a smile on his face and pep in his step. He has Russell and Hamilton in second and third but, with five minutes until lights out and an upset win suddenly and unexpectedly on the breeze, he’s also a bit stressed: “There’s no such thing as miracles,” he tells us.
With Verstappen in #1 and Sergio Pérez in #20 starting from the pits, Christian Horner says: “It’s a Red Bull sandwich with quite a lot of meat in the middle.”
From The Singing Budgie to The Flying Scot… the familiar flat cap of Jackie Stewart, now 83, is mingling with the VIPs and, like the rest of the F1 family, the three-time world champ is tipping Red Bull to get the lollies.
Time for the anthem…
The stars are on track. Melbourne’s favourite son is Oscar Piastri today but Melbourne’s favourite daughter, the one and only Kylie Minogue, is on track and talking to Red Bull’s Christian Horner. Is he doing The Locomotion? No, but his wheels do appear to be spinning talking to the diminutive pop princess.
Last year’s Australian Grand Prix was the first since the pandemic stopped the 2020 edition. The 2022 race felt symbolic, a next phase of Covid-19 and the return of a major international sporting event to Australia, following extended lockdowns and international border closures. Of course no city in the world was more locked down than Melbourne so 2023 feels like business as usual: Formula One going from strength to strength, Melbourne providing a flawless backdrop.
Of course there’s one crucial element missing for Australians this year…
The F1 season traditionally kicks off in Melbourne but this year Albert Park hosts the third race of the 2023 calendar. A record 419,114 fans attended last year’s Australian GP, making it the biggest sporting weekend in Melbourne’s history. With picture perfect conditions and plenty of spice in the leadup, will the record fall today?
Kieran Pender is in the mix and reckons: “Albert Park is bursting at the seams with what seems likely to be a record crowd, following best-ever attendances since the action began on Thursday. The Netflix Drive to Survive effect is evident, with a new, younger, more diverse crowd (the long lines for the women’s bathrooms suggests organisers didn’t fully anticipate the considerable demographic shift).”
As he battles to get his backside trackside, our correspondent Kieran Pender has filed this weather report from the 20-minute queue for an ice cream…
“The conditions are picture perfect ahead of the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park this afternoon. After a run of inclement weather during practice and qualifying, Melbourne has turned it on today with blazing sun, a mild breeze and not a drop of moisture.
“The conditions heavily favour Formula One reigning champion Max Verstappen, who took pole position yesterday and has a car that performs fastest in warmer conditions. Verstappen has never won the Australian Grand Prix, but he will be hard to beat today.”
And as if 58 laps of racing weren’t excitement enough, Mad Max struck a new fuse in Formula One by threatening to quit the sport of which he’s champion…
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It was a fast and furious frenzy of qualifiers as Melbourne produced four-seasons-in-a-day conditions to test drivers, crews and spectators. Here’s how Giles Richards saw it…
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Preamble
G’day sports fans, and welcome to Albert Park in Melbourne for the 2023 Australian Grand Prix. The cool and wet conditions of qualifying are history and, as we prepare for 58 laps of racing, the clouds have parted, the sun is out and the heat is rising for drivers and fans alike.
For those who came in late, Max Verstappen has claimed pole for Red Bull, having lowered the Albert Park lap record four times in qualifying. The reigning world champion starts hot favourite today. But in a fantastic twist, after a tough start to the season, Mercedes have roared back to the front rows, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton shocking the F1 world - and themselves – to claim second and third spot on the grid.
In the back rows, where all the bad boys lurk, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas will start not from 20th and 19th but from the pit lane, after opting to change their cars under parc ferme regulations. Verstappen’s teammate Perez failed to set a time in qualifying after beaching his car in the gravel at Turn 3, with what Team Principal Christian Horner later revealed was an engine braking issue.
Meanwhile, local hope Oscar Piastri – who grew up here in Melbourne racing remote control cars just 15 minutes away from the Albert Park track – is about to compete in his first home grand prix. He lines up at 16th for McLaren with the weight of the nation on his 21-year-old shoulders. Good luck young fella!
Grid positions
1) Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. George Russell (Mercedes)
3) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
4) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
5) Carlos Sainz Jr. (Ferrari)
6) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
7) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari1)
8) Alexander Albon (Williams)
9) Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
10) Nico Hülkenberg (Haas)
11) Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
12) Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha-Tauri)
13) Lando Norris (McLaren)
14) Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
15) Nyck de Vries (Alpha-Tauri)
16) Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
17) Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
18) Logan Sargeant (Williams)
19) Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
20) Sergio Pérez (Red Bull)
Lights out at 3pm AEST. Buckle ‘em up and batten ‘em down!
