So much of the narrative had been on the dynamic between Max Verstappen and Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez after their fastest lap tension in Jeddah. Surprisingly, it didn’t factor in Melbourne. More takeaways from the Australian Grand Prix:
Pérez had a miserable weekend, starting from the pit lane after getting beached in the gravel during qualifying. Yes, he dodged the late madness and recovered to fifth place. But Verstappen’s victory means the first major points swing of the year has gone in favor of the Dutchman. Let’s imagine that Red Bull’s domination continues and joint podiums become routine, making seven-point swings the norm. Verstappen’s gains will be precious given the rarity of ‘off weekends’ for the team.
Verstappen now sits 15 points clear of Pérez at the top of the championship: hardly a considerable lead, but a good one to have so early in their title tussle.It was hardly a perfect weekend for Red Bull. Even in years where one team is clear of the pack, we can still get crazy races. Even in the race, Verstappen had to show patience against theafter losing ground early on. He briefly took his eye off the ball when running off the track in the final sector.
The result may not be a shock, but the race will live long in fans’ memories thanks to the late chaos. Races of attrition are scarce in F1 nowadays. You have to go back to the 2020 Austrian GP for the last time less than 12 cars still circulated so late. Sunday in Melbourne showed the value of staying out of trouble.This year may be shaping up to be a story of Red Bull supremacy. But Sunday proved there is still lots of drama on the cards.
Fast forward to now, and the picture is very different. Leclerc’s first-lap clash with Lance Stroll was deemed by both to be a racing incident, but it was Leclerc who came off worse, ending his race in the gravel. Leclerc’s claim it is his “worst ever start to a season” isn’t strictly true — he had zero points after three races with Sauber in his rookie campaign. That said, you can fully understand why it feels that way. Six points is a paltry return that doesn’t reflect Ferrari’s standing.
Sainz was unfortunate to get his penalty when he did, the five-second add-on dropping him from fourth to 12th due to the bunched field behind the safety car. But he was very much to blame for the collision with Alonso, making it a just penalty. It meant Ferrari left Melbourne empty-handed, seemingly no closer to getting in the mix at the front.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Verstappen wins Australian Grand Prix and Hamilton snags second in messy Melbourne finishRed flags mar finish to the Australian Grand Prix but Verstappen and Hamilton successfully avoid late collisions
Read more »
Aus GP debate: Did the FIA make the right restart call at the Australian Grand Prix?Race Control's decision to red flag the Australian Grand Prix after Kevin Magnussen's late-race crash has divided opinion.
Read more »
10 things we learned from the 2023 MotoGP Argentina Grand PrixFrom a new MotoGP dark horse title contender to the latest sprint race shenanigans, there was once again plenty of action on and off the track at the 2023 Argentina Grand Prix. Here\u2019s the 10 major talking points from events at Rio Hondo\n
Read more »
Max Verstappen: Lewis Hamilton 'clearly didn't follow rules' in Australian GP battleRed Bull's Max Verstappen was less than impressed by Lewis Hamilton's wheel-to-wheel fighting on the opening lap in Melbourne.
Read more »
Max Verstappen questions FIA’s red flag decisions with Australian GP ‘a mess’Max Verstappen has questioned the call for a standing start restart, saying it was the trigger behind the late carnage in Melbourne.
Read more »
Australian GP conclusions: Show over sport; another Brazil-like Mercedes illusion?This was a mess not so much of Formula 1’s making as of its cunningly constructed planning – and we, in our hunger for just a little entertainment, all went along for the ride writes OllieHarden F1 AustralianGP
Read more »