The first round of the Formula 1 world championship, the Australian Grand Prix, has come to an end. Let us take a closer look at everything that happened during the race and the final results from the opening event of the season.
The first race of the new era of Formula 1 concluded after an eventful and unpredictable afternoon. However, even before the start of the Australian Grand Prix, there was already a major twist. Local driver Oscar Piastri crashed heavily into the barriers during the formation lap. The extensive damage sustained by the McLaren car meant that the Australian driver was unable to start his home race. It was therefore a very difficult beginning to the weekend for the Woking-based team.
Race summary
Charles Leclerc made a brilliant start. The Ferrari driver began the race from fourth position on the starting grid but managed to launch perfectly when the lights went out, temporarily taking the lead of the race. Lewis Hamilton also made a strong start. On the other hand, Andrea Kimi Antonelli experienced some early difficulties and dropped down to seventh position in the opening phase.
The first five laps delivered plenty of action and excitement, with a series of overtaking moves among the top three drivers. Leclerc, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton exchanged positions several times, creating an intense battle at the front of the field in the early stages of the Australian Grand Prix.
On lap ten, Andrea Kimi Antonelli was lapping two seconds faster than the three drivers ahead of him and managed to close the gap to the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Meanwhile, reliability issues struck the Red Bull car of Isack Hadjar, who was forced to retire from the race.
The Virtual Safety Car triggered by the Red Bull driver from Milton Keynes gave several drivers the opportunity to head into the pit lane and complete their first pit stop of the race. Ferrari chose a different strategic approach compared to Mercedes, deciding not to pit at that moment in order to change tyres.
On lap 18 there was another Virtual Safety Car situation due to a problem with the Cadillac of Valtteri Bottas, which stopped right at the entrance of the pit lane.
On lap 25 Charles Leclerc eventually came into the pits to fit the white-marked hard tyres. After completing his pit stop, the Ferrari driver rejoined the race in fourth position, just behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Final 30 laps
Fernando Alonso, after remaining in the pits for around ten laps, returned to the track in order to complete additional laps and rejoin the race action.
McLaren appeared to be struggling significantly during the second half of the race. On lap 35 Lando Norris came under attack from Max Verstappen. The British driver then decided to pit, and after his stop the Woking-based team found itself needing to fight back through the field after rejoining in eighth position.
With only a few laps remaining before the chequered flag, Max Verstappen made a second pit stop, which meant that he handed position back to Lando Norris, who climbed once again to fifth place.
Eight laps from the finish the leading positions effectively stabilized. George Russell maintained a provisional advantage of six seconds over his Mercedes teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, controlling the race comfortably in the closing stages.
Behind them, Lewis Hamilton managed to close the gap to Charles Leclerc. With only one lap remaining, the seven-time world champion was just 1.5 seconds behind his Ferrari teammate. The two Ferrari drivers produced a thrilling sprint to the finish line, but the Monegasque driver managed to defend successfully and secure the third step of the podium.
Australian Grand Prix – final results
George Russell (Mercedes)
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
Lando Norris (McLaren)
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Oliver Bearman (HAAS)
Arvid Lindblad (VCARB)
Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Esteban Ocon (HAAS)
Alex Albon (Williams)
Liam Lawson (VCARB)
Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
Carlos Sainz (Williams)
Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
DNF: Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas, Isack Hadjar, Oscar Piastri, Nico Hulkenberg.
