Who won the 2023 F1 Australian GP?

The 2023 F1 Australian GP had three (!) safety car restarts, including two very late on, but as always, there is only one winner in Formula 1.

Who won the 2023 F1 Australian GP?

Max Verstappen leads the pack at the start of the 2023 F1 Australian GP

The start of the Australian GP was very chaotic, with George Russell jumping Max Verstappen at the start. Lewis Hamilton followed suit, also overtaking Verstappen. Soon, the Aston Martin and Ferraris also jumped in, and Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso, and Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc collided in separate incidents, with the Monegasque beaching his car on turn 3 after the collission.

On lap 8, Alex Albon also crashed, and a safety car came out, with Russell and Sainz pitted. But then, a red flag came out – and the advantage went to Hamilton, Verstappen, and the others who stayed out. On the restart, Hamilton was soon pipped by Verstappen, who stretched his advantage. But there was another twist in the tale, as Russell retired from a mechanical failure.

https://youtu.be/DA6dQbsQoMU

Meanwhile, Verstappen, the leader, began to really assert his dominance in clean air. By lap 29, he had a 7-second advantage over Hamilton. Behind the Dutchman, though, things were getting interesting. From Hamilton down to Gasly in the fifth palace, everyone was rather close together – and playing tire management games. But then, Kevin Magnussen’s left-rear tire blew out after he hit the wall on lap 53. This brought out a red flag on lap 55.

FS Video

So, there was a grandstand finish, with two racing laps. This restart was completely out of the world. At the start, Sainz spun Alonso around, both Alpine drivers collided with each other, Stroll went into the gravel, and so did Nyck de Vries and Logan Sargeant. But there was to be another restart, with the same order as the previous!

Read More: F1 Australian GP: “I’m being attacked by my own teammate,” George Russell blasts Mercedes for being told to ‘manage’ when Lewis Hamilton’s on his tail

Max Verstappen won a chaotic 2023 F1 Australian GP

Max Verstappen will start the 2023 F1 Bahrain GP on pole position
Max Verstappen

The 2023 F1 Australian GP was completely unhinged. The last standing restart was particularly exhilirating. Many were surprised that there was a restart at the end, but of course, there was on overtaking until the line. This meant that Max Verstappen won the race, but he didn’t have it easy, and there was a whole lot of drama around it.

Ferrari had a disastrous weekend. First, Charles Leclerc crashed out on lap 1. Then, because Carlos Sainz hit Fernando Alonso the (second) safety car restart, he was given a 5-second penalty for causing a collision. This means they took a total of 0 points home to Maranello, on a weekend where their race pace fairly looked good, and there was much promise.

Mercedes’ garage would have contrasting emotions. On one hand, the pace looked good, and Lewis Hamilton took P2. But on the other hand, George Russell took a world of pain during the first safety car, and then retired from a mechanical failure. This is actually their second failure in four races, as Hamilton retired during the 2022 Abu Dhabi GP.

For Red Bull, it was obviously great. Sergio Perez, helped on by the numerous safety cars (and restarts), eventually finished P5. That’s quite a good recovery, considering he started P20. Now, the next race in Azerbaijan is at the end of April, and it will feature a sprint, likely with a revised format. More carnage can be expected.

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