Max Verstappen wins chaotic Formula 1 Australian GP race - Rádio Itatiaia

Max Verstappen wins chaotic Formula 1 Australian GP race – Rádio Itatiaia

Posted On: April 3, 2023

Despite a bad start, the double world champion Max Verstappen, of Red Bull, won this Sunday (2) the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, the third race of the season, which had to be stopped three times due to accidents. .

Verstappen, who was on track for an easy win before two red flags in the final three laps, edged out Briton Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Spaniard Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin).

“It was a mess, but we survived everything. We won, that’s certainly the most important thing”, celebrated the Dutchman after the end of the race.

“A lot of things happened, I was careful in the first round because I had a lot to lose and the others a lot to gain”, he analyzed.

On the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, Verstappen confirmed the superiority of Red Bull and opened a 15-point lead over his teammate, the Mexican Sergio Pérez, in the drivers’ world championship.

With two victories (Bahrain and Australia) and a second place in Saudi Arabia (after starting 15th), the double world champion seems to have no opponent this season apart from Pérez.

Red Bull, which has not won in Australia since 2011, comfortably leads the constructors’ championship with 123 points, compared to 65 for Aston Martin and 56 for Mercedes.

Hamilton returns to the podium

After two fifth places, Lewis Hamilton reached the podium for the first time in 2024, which seems to confirm the rise of Mercedes, even if George Russell abandoned the race with an engine problem.

“I didn’t expect to be second, so I’m very grateful for that. For us to be here with Aston Martin is amazing at this stage of the season,” Hamilton said.

In turn, Fernando Alonso won his 101st career podium and the third in three races of the season for Aston Martin, which never ceases to amaze.

“We had a rollercoaster of emotions today. Lewis did an amazing job, I couldn’t match or get close enough. But we’ll take third place,” Alonso commented.

On the other hand, Ferrari lived a nightmare since the Monegasque Charles Leclerc had to abandon the race at the third corner. He went to the gravel pit after hitting the car of Canadian Stroll (Aston Martin).

Subsequently, Carlos Sainz received a five-second penalty for causing an accident with Alonso with ten laps to go and dropped from fourth to 12th in the final standings, forcing the Italian team to end the weekend. -end without a dot.

Another disappointing team was Alpine, which saw its two French riders Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon crash after the second restart and retire on the penultimate lap.

The race was stopped three times, following the falls of Alexander Albon (Williams) on the 7th lap, Kevin Magnussen (Haas) on the 53rd lap and Gasly and Ocon on the 57th lap. Drivers and spectators therefore had three starts on the grid, while the last lap of the race ended with the safety car on the track.

Following the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix, the Formula 1 World Championship will take a four-week break and resume at the street circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan on April 30.