Valtteri Bottas has taken the opening race of the 2019 Formula 1 season, with the Finn beating his teammate Lewis Hamilton to first place in Melbourne in his first win since 2017.
Bottas, who didn’t win a single race in 2018, started from second place but flew past Hamilton before the first turn. The 29-year-old then took off and never looked back, also winning the bonus point for the quickest lap of the race, a bonus which has been added for the 2019 season.
Local driver Daniel Ricciardo had a nightmare start to life at Renault, breaking his front wing only seconds after starting the race and eventually retiring halfway through his home Grand Prix.
Behind Bottas and Hamilton, Max Verstappen finished third for Red Bull Racing, while Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel eventually finished fourth in front of teammate Charles Leclerc.
Australian Grand Prix – Here are the complete race results from round one of the Formula One Championship at Albert Park, Melbourne.
Results (Classification):
Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 58 Laps
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +20.886
Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +22.520
Sebastian Vettel Ferrari +57.109
Charles Leclerc Ferrari +58.230
Kevin Magnussen Haas +87.156
Nico Hulkenberg Renault +1 Lap
Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo +1 Lap
Lance Stroll Racing Point +1 Lap
Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso +1 Lap
Pierre Gasly Red Bull Racing +1 Lap
Lando Norris McLaren +1 Lap
Sergio Perez Racing Point +1 Lap
Alex Albon Toro Rosso +1 Lap
Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo +1 Lap
George Russell Williams +2 Laps
Robert Kubica Williams +3 Laps
Romain Grosjean Haas DNF
Daniel Ricciardo Renault DNF
Carlos Sainz McLaren DNF
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