Max Verstappen claimed victory during a wild and action-packed 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, overcoming battles with the Mercedes drivers, several Safety Cars and three red flags to lead home Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
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Verstappen lost out to George Russell and Hamilton at the original race start before the Safety Car made two appearances quickly due to Charles Leclerc retiring from a collision with Lance Stroll and Alex Albon crashing out heavily.
A subsequent red flag for Albon’s incident brought the field back to the pits. Hamilton led Verstappen and Alonso, taking advantage of misfortune for Russell and Carlos Sainz, the two front-runners, to take on fresh tyres just before the stoppage.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=39]With a free choice of tyres for the restart, Hamilton initially held the lead from Verstappen. Still, the Red Bull driver soon got within DRS range and moved back into P1 moments before Russell’s misery was compounded by an apparent engine failure.
Verstappen brushed off the early drama to move into a comfortable lead as the race developed. At the same time, Hamilton held P2 and set about managing the gap back to Alonso, who the recovering Sainz and Pierre Gasly joined in a fight for the podium positions.
But just as the order appeared to be locked in, another Safety Car, and then another red flag, was triggered late on when Kevin Magnussen thumped the wall exiting Turn 2, lost his rear-right wheel and spread debris from his Haas over the racing line.
It meant a third standing start and the prospect of a two-lap shootout on soft tyres, but just a matter of seconds passed before further contact and drama as Sainz tipped fellow Spaniard Alonso into a spin in the Turn 1 bottleneck.
Behind, Gasly took avoiding action and collided with Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon as he rejoined the circuit, putting both drivers out on the spot. At the same time, Logan Sargeant ran into the back of Nyck de Vries, and Sergio Perez – who had risen from the pit lane – and Stroll had separate off-track excursions.
After some confusion over how the race would proceed and the results would be determined, proceedings were resumed – and ultimately settled – behind the Safety Car in the order of the previous start, minus the cars that had been eliminated.
A rolling start took the field to the chequered flag, with Verstappen crossing the line for his first victory in Australia. Hamilton and Alonso completed the podium ahead of Sainz, Stroll, Perez and Lando Norris.
However, Sainz was hit with a five-second time penalty for his clash with Alonso, promoting everyone behind him as Nico Hulkenberg took P7, from home favourite Oscar Piastri, Zhou Guanyu, Yuki Tsunoda – inheriting the final point – and Valtteri Bottas.
De Vries, Sargeant, Magnussen, Russell, Albon and Leclerc watched the final lap from the sidelines as the sun set on a hugely dramatic day at the Albert Park Circuit.
Mario Isola, Motorsport Director, Pirelli:
This was a genuinely eventful Australian Grand Prix, with three red flag periods, a safety car, and a virtual safety car. All these occurrences effectively defined how the strategies shook out, while in terms of tyre behaviour, the compounds performed as we expected them to, with the hard C2 tyre playing a leading role. When the first safety car came out after Albon went off on lap seven, some drivers who had started on the mediums switched to the hard – followed by others once the red flag came out to allow the track to be cleaned.
Despite not having much information over long runs – very few drivers strung together stints of longer than ten laps or so in free practice – the C2 showed itself to be a very consistent tyre in terms of degradation and not far from the pace of other nominated compounds, fulfilling all the demands placed on it. The fact that we saw all three compounds on the starting grid highlights how bringing the C4 tyre to Melbourne this year was the correct choice, as it was judged to be a valid race tyre as well as becoming the protagonist of the final run to the flag, thanks to two red flag periods that were almost consecutive. This compound and the medium performed well today, albeit over relatively short stints, with higher temperatures and a more rubbered-in surface.
How the race was won:
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the Australian Grand Prix for the first time. In an action-packed race, the reigning world champion led two other world champions past the chequered flag: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. All the podium finishers ended the race on the P Zero Red soft, following a tyre change one lap from the finish…
The Australian Grand Prix was interrupted by three safety car periods and three red flag periods, including a red flag just a lap from the finish, leading to two standing and a final rolling start. The virtual safety car also appeared due to a car stopping at the exit of the pitlane.
The frequent safety car periods and other race interruptions largely influenced the race strategies. The top three started on the P Zero Yellow medium and then went onto the P Zero White hard at the first neutralisation. Instead, the last three laps were run on two sets of soft tyres.
A total of 10 drivers completed the longest stint on the hard tyre, covering 47 laps on this compound, including all three podium finishers. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon kept the same hard tyres he had fitted on lap one without changing them during the first red-flag period, completing 54 laps on the same tyres. Alfa Romeo drivers Valtteri Bottas and Guanyou Zhou also used the same set of hard tyres for more than 50 laps.
AlphaTauri’s Nyck De Vries was instead the driver to complete the most consecutive laps on the two other available compounds: 37 on the medium and nine on the soft.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez set the fastest lap of the race, using the hard tyre (1m20.235s), and was also one of the drivers to complete the longest stint on this compound. Alonso and De Vries were the fastest on the medium and soft tyres, setting 1m22.603s and 1m21.183s on these compounds, respectively.
What’s next?
After a very intense start with three races in one month, there’s a brief pause for the FIA Formula One World Championship. Next up is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, from April 28 to 30, supported also by Formula 2. Just one week after that comes the first of three American races this year, with Miami hosting its grand prix around the Hard Rock stadium for the second year.
2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Country | Team | Time | Points | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1 | Max Verstappen | Netherlands | Red Bull Racing Honda | 2:32:38.371 | 25 | 69 |
| 2. | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Great Britain | Mercedes-AMG Petronas | +0.179s | 18 | 38 |
| 3. | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Spain | Alpine F1 Team | +0.769s | 15 | 45 |
| 4. | 18 | Lance Stroll | Canada | Aston Martin F1 Team | +3.082s | 12 | 20 |
| 5. | 11 | Sergio Perez | Mexico | Red Bull Racing Honda | +3.320s | 11 | 54 |
| 6. | 4 | Lando Norris | Great Britain | Mclaren Racing | +3.701s | 8 | 8 |
| 7. | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Germany | Haas F1 Team | +4.939s | 6 | 6 |
| 8. | 81 | Oscar Piastri | Australia | McLaren Racing | +5.382s | 4 | 4 |
| 9. | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | China | Alfa Romeo F1 Team | +5.713s | 2 | 2 |
| 10. | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Japan | Scuderia AlphaTauri | +6.052s | 1 | 1 |
| 11. | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Finland | Alfa Romeo F1 Team | +6.513s | 0 | 4 |
| 12. | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Spain | Scuderia Ferrari | +6.594s | 0 | 20 |
| 13. | 10 | Pierre Gasly | France | Alpine F1 Team | DNF | 0 | 2 |
| 14. | 31 | Esteban Ocon | France | Alpine F1 Team | DNF | 0 | 4 |
| 15. | 21 | Nyck De Vries | Netherlands | Scuderia AlphaTauri | DNF | 0 | 0 |
| 16. | 2 | Logan Sargeant | USA | Williams Racing | DNF | 0 | 0 |
| 17. | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Denmark | Haas F1 Team | DNF | 0 | 1 |
| 18. | 63 | George Russell | Great Britain | Mercedes-AMG Petronas | DNF | 0 | 18 |
| 19. | 45 | Alexander Albon | Thailand | Williams Racing | DNF | 0 | 1 |
| 20. | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Monaco | Scuderia Ferrari | DNF | 0 | 6 |
2023 Constructor Standings
| Pos | Picture | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  | Red Bull Racing | 860 |
| 2. |  | Mercedes-AMG F1 Team | 409 |
| 3. |  | Scuderia Ferrari | 406 |
| 4. |  | McLaren Racing | 302 |
| 5. |  | Aston Martin F1 Team | 280 |
| 6. |  | Alpine F1 Team | 120 |
| 7. |  | Williams Racing | 28 |
| 8. |  | Scuderia AlphaTauri | 25 |
| 8. |  | Alfa Romeo Racing | 16 |
| 10. |  | Haas F1 Team | 12 |
Here are the team-by-team highlights:
Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen followed the safety car home at the end of a dramatic 2023 FIA Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix to win his second race of the World Championship season as Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Pérez fought brilliantly up from last on the grid to finish in fifth place.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=39]The race was turned on its head with a red flag on lap nine, with Dutchman Verstappen overtaking Lewis Hamilton for the lead on lap 12 as Mexican Pérez moved into the points on lap 23, Verstappen building up a big lead before a red flag with just a few laps left led to chaos.
Multiple cars went off at the ensuing restart leading to a final safety car finish where Verstappen took the chequered flag while Pérez banked points and the fastest lap to lie 15 points behind in the title race.
Max Verstappen, Driver, Red Bull Racing
My start today wasn’t amazing, and then on lap 1, I was very careful as there was a lot on the line. I had a lot to lose and a lot to win. But after that restart, we had a good pace and a decent gap for most of the race. Perhaps we didn’t need all of those red flags today, it was frustrating, but everyone was safe, and we won, which is the most important thing. It’s my first win in Australia, which feels really good. It’s also been a while for the Team, so it means a lot to us all, especially as Checo also had a good recovery drive today. It’s been a chaotic day, but it’s great that the fans had a great time despite the long wait!
Sergio Pérez, Driver, Red Bull Racing:
Generally, it was a good result today. Yesterday, I lost confidence in the car, but we made many changes overnight, which helped us head into the race. I had a really good restart the first time, I jumped 3 or 4 places, but then it was a bit of a mess with the DRS train. I was frustrated later in the race because I couldn’t advance any further, but it was so difficult to get through the field with tyre deg low and everyone going on to the hard tyres quickly. Maybe if I’d been a bit more aggressive earlier, I could’ve finished higher, but I’m happy we finished P5 and even managed to secure the fastest lap. Overall, this race gives us confidence in heading to Baku in a few weeks, and we look forward to the challenge it brings.
CHRISTIAN HORNER – CEO and Team Principal, Red Bull Racing
It was a complicated race made up of three parts. The first start didn’t go our way, but in the restart, Max could hold position, battle Lewis for the lead and control the race from there. While the marshals always act in the interest of safety, and driver safety is paramount, the restart at the end of the race was a little frustrating. Thankfully, it didn’t cost us anything, we had a great pace with the car, and Max was in great form. For Max to claim the victory was a testament to his driving, but equally, credit must go to the Team both here and at home, all of whom worked together to deliver a great race. Checo also drove phenomenally well, bringing home the fastest lap and securing P5. It was a great recovery, from the back of the grid, in the pits, on a track where it is very difficult to overtake. Overall, we are very happy with our performance and thrilled to bring home a win on our 350th race at a track we haven’t won in 10 years.
Red Bull Racing Honda best pictures:
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 30: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing wears a blonde wig in the Paddock during previews ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 30, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 30: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing, Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Oracle Red Bull Racing, and Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing pose for a photo during previews ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 30, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 30: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on in the Paddock during previews ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 30, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 31: Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner looks on in the Team Principals Press Conference during practice ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 31, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 02: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing look on in the Paddock prior to the 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on April 02, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 02: <> during the 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on April 02, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 02: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates with Rob Marshall, the Chief Engineering Officer of Red Bull Racing, on the podium during the 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on April 02, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 02: <> during the 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on April 02, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
In a highly dramatic race, AMF1 secured top-four finishes with both cars at Albert Park Circuit, with Fernando fighting his way onto the podium for the third race in succession and Lance coming home in fourth place – his best result with AMF1 to date.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=39]In a highly chaotic race, which featured an unprecedented three red flags, Fernando and Lance fought their way through to finish third and fourth at Albert Park Circuit.
Fernando challenged for second place behind Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton for much of the race before the second red flag came out. On the subsequent restart, he was tipped into a spin by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
However, as the third and final red flag was called before the field had passed the first sector marker, the result from the previous lap – minus any eliminated cars – was used for a one-lap restart behind the Safety Car to the finish. This meant Fernando came through to take his third podium finish in succession.
Sainz was penalised for the collision, which benefitted Lance, who had hustled for a top-five finish all afternoon. Despite running into the gravel at Turn Three on the second restart when battling with Sainz, Lance could retake his position due to the red flag procedure and took fourth after Sainz’s penalty – his best result with AMF1 to date.
After the race, Fernando, Lance and Mike described all the emotions of a frantic afternoon at Albert Park…
Fernando Alonso
It was a rollercoaster of emotions today with the red flags and incidents. It was probably my craziest race here in Melbourne, but it’s great to come away with another podium.
There were many things going on all afternoon, and we had an exciting battle with Lewis for the second. The car’s pace was good, and we kept up the pressure on Lewis, but he did a good job and didn’t really make any mistakes.
On the contact with Carlos after the restart, I’m sure he didn’t mean to do it, so I think the penalty for him was quite harsh in the end. We must be pleased with this start to the season and three podiums in as many races.
Lance Stroll
We should be pleased with the result we’ve come away with today: third and fourth are great for the team. It was a heavily disrupted race with red flags and a few big accidents, and neither Fernando nor I managed to stay clear of the drama.
I had some contact on the first lap, but we ran well until the first red flag was thrown. As we’ve seen across the weekend, it takes a while for the tyres to get up to temperature here, and so on the second restart, I locked up at turn three and ended up in the gravel.
Thankfully, the red flag had been waved before that point, and I could retake my position for the final restart. This sport is a rollercoaster of emotions sometimes! Overall, we’ve come away from a chaotic race with a solid haul of points for the team, and to be second in the Constructors’ Championship after three races is very positive.
Mike Krack
What a race! There was just about everything you could imagine this afternoon, so to come away with third and fourth places – and 27 points – is a brilliant reward for the team.
It was not an easy race to navigate, with the early red flag emphasising managing the Hard tyres. Almost everyone was trying to run until the end, and it was very close throughout the top ten. Fernando stayed close to Lewis, but with a similar race pace, we could not get close enough to challenge for a second.
Lance raced hard all afternoon, survived battles, and looked after the tyres excellently. Then there was the chaotic restart, and I have to say it was a relief to see the starting order reinstated. I know some drivers and teams really lost out in the mayhem, but we got a bit lucky with both cars being largely undamaged, allowing us to finish the race under the Safety Car.
Big congratulations and thanks to the whole team at Silverstone and here at the track for another strong and faultless performance with both cars and our third podium of the year. Today we celebrate and enjoy this result, but tomorrow our attention turns to the next race in Baku.
Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team best pictures:
portrait, Albert Park Circuit, GP2303a, F1, GP, Australia
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team with fans
portrait, Albert Park Circuit, GP2303a, F1, GP, Australia
Mike Krack, Team Principal, Aston Martin F1 Team
Portrait, Helmets, Albert Park Circuit, GP2303a, F1, GP, Australia
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team
Portrait, Podium, TS-Live, Albert Park Circuit, GP2303a, F1, GP, Australia
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, 3rd position, waves from the podium
Portrait, Albert Park Circuit, GP2303a, F1, GP
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team in the Press Conference
action, Albert Park Circuit, GP2303a, F1, GP, Australia
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR23
A chaotic 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix saw Lewis Hamilton claim the Team’s first podium finish.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=39]On a wild afternoon in Melbourne, the race was interrupted by three red flag periods, a new F1 record, one Safety Car and one Virtual Safety Car.
A strong getaway at the initial start saw George and Lewis pass polesitter Max Verstappen and run one-two in the opening stages.
George pitted from the lead on lap seven under the Safety Car; the red flag was thrown only a lap later, though, comprising his strategy. Therefore, Lewis took the subsequent standing start first, having switched to the hard tyre under the red flag.
George quickly began his recovery, making up three positions and running fourth when a Power Unit failure ended his race on lap 17. Having been passed by Verstappen, Lewis was running second ahead of Fernando Alonso and managing his tyres.
A second red flag led to another standing start with a handful of laps remaining. Despite a third red flag and rolling start procedure after a crash-filled restart, Lewis kept out of trouble and took the chequered flag in second place.
Lewis Hamilton
Getting a podium today is amazing; I didn’t expect to be second this weekend, so I am grateful. Considering we’re down on performance, fighting with the Aston Martins is amazing for us at this point in the season. We’ve just got to keep fighting. A big thank you to all the people back at the factory. We can close that gap; it will be tough but not impossible.
It was very unlucky for George today. Our reliability has generally been pretty good, so that was unfortunate. Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone here in Melbourne and Australia. I’ve had the best week here, and this town continues to put on a great show.
George Russell
We did everything right this weekend. We had a great Qualifying yesterday, and the start was perfect today. We managed the first stint well, and I could have extended it more. I’ve felt comfortable and strong in the car on all three days. I see no reason why we couldn’t have fought for victory today, so it’s disappointing. I felt something go as soon as I came through the high-speed turn 10. Three corners later, I was stopped. When it’s not your day, it’s not your day.
We still have a lot of work to do to catch Red Bull, but we can take the positives from this weekend. We couldn’t have done any more every time we’ve taken to the track. We maximised everything, and I’m proud of the job that we have done.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO
We had a strong pace today, and it was really close with the Aston Martins and the Ferraris. That is good news for us, and I think we have made a step forward this weekend, both on one lap and race pace. We maximised what we have and need to comb through the data and continue learning about the car. This will help bring the upgrade packages, which will be the key to challenging the leaders more often.
It was unfortunate with George; he had a great stop from the lead and changed onto the hard tyre. It was absolutely the right call, and he would have been very much at the front. With the red flag, his race was not so good anymore. He still could have made it to the front, though, so he was unfortunate to have a Power Unit failure.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
It’s great to get the first podium of the year with Lewis, but it was a day of mixed fortunes for the team. Lewis drove a difficult race well and had to find a delicate balance between tyre management and defending. George had put together a strong weekend and was unfortunate that the Safety Car became a red flag. Things then got worse with the Power Unit issue. The car’s pace has been better than at the first two races; we’ve made some changes to the setup for the circuit, but hopefully, we can take some of that learning into the upcoming races.
Mercedes-AMG F1 Team best pictures:
2022 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Sunday – Steve Etherington
2022 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Sunday – LAT Images
2022 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Sunday – LAT Images
2022 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Sunday – LAT Images
2022 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Sunday – Steve Etherington
2022 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Friday – Jiri Krenek
Scuderia Ferrari leaves Australia without any points, having clearly demonstrated that it has made progress in race pace compared to the opening two rounds. Charles Leclerc had to retire after going off the track immediately after the start. Carlos Sainz dropped out of the points because of a five-second time penalty imposed on the final lap, taking him from 4th to 12th, having produced an aggressive drive to charge up the order.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=39]Early stages. Carlos got away well from fifth on the grid, while from seventh, Charles tried to pass Lance Stroll at Turn 3. The Canadian had to move over on the Ferrari to avoid a car ahead of him, sending the SF-23 into a spin that ended with it stuck in the gravel. Shortly afterwards, the Safety Car came out again after Alex Albon hit the barriers. The team, therefore, opted to get the compulsory pit stop out of the way and switch Carlos from the Medium tyres to the Hards, with the Spaniard rejoining in 11th place, all set to move up the order as others pitted later, a strategy also adopted by the then race leader George Russell. But the race was then red-flagged to allow the debris to be cleared, thus nullifying the advantage of Carlos’ well-chosen strategy. The lone Ferrari took the ensuing standing start from the sixth row.
Fight back. At the restart, Carlos, still on the Hard tyres, went on an overtaking spree, despatching Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda, Nico Hülkenberg, Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly in quick succession so that by lap 25, he was up to the fourth place. He then ran at a consistent pace in the SF-23, thus keeping in touch with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso while still managing to look after his tyres, clear proof that recent work at Maranello and on track, mainly in terms of race pace is beginning to deliver.
Cruel finale. With fewer than ten laps remaining, Kevin Magnussen brought out the second red flag of the afternoon. There was another standing start with only two laps to go. Carlos lined up on the second row and got a perfect start, coming alongside third-placed Alonso going into Turn 1. The two Spaniards collided, with both able to continue and Carlos up to the third place. But then it was chaos further back with both Alpines in the barriers. Another red flag, but the stewards deemed the race would still have to complete the planned 58 laps and those cars still able to run completed the last lap behind the Safety Car, which pitted so the queue of cars could take the chequered flag. Carlos was fourth across the line but classified 12th because of the 5-second penalty imposed following the coming together with Alonso. The world championship resumes in four weekends’ time, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on 30 April.
Carlos Sainz #55
I had a good start and felt confident on the medium tyre, but we were unlucky, pitting just before they brought out the first red flag, and I dropped down to P11. From there, I managed to pull off a good comeback with nice overtakes and a solid pace, so I’m happy about that.
Overall, it was a good race, but the penalty ruined all the effort, and I disagree with it. The frustration I feel right now will be difficult to digest, but I will try to think only of the positives from today and focus on the next race.
Charles Leclerc #16
It was unfortunate to end the race today, but it was a racing incident, and I don’t think we could have done anything differently. Disappointing, but on to the next one where I hope things will run more smoothly again.
Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal
Today’s result, not scoring points, does not reflect our progress as a team. We have taken a step forward in terms of pure performance, and even more importantly, we had a decent and consistent race pace on the various tyre compounds, including the Hard. Only yesterday’s qualifying did not match our potential.
Our initial reaction is frustrating, with Charles clearly unlucky to be involved in a racing incident at the start. It was a good call to bring Carlos in under the first Safety Car, but following the red flag, he had to start again from P11, from which he recovered very well. The penalty had a devastating effect on the final result for him. Still, despite this, we go back to Maranello knowing that we are moving in the right direction, and we now have three weeks to keep working on optimising and updating the SF-23 for the coming races.
Scuderia Ferrari best pictures:
2023 Formula 1 Australian GP
Carlos Sainz, 2023 Formula 1 Australian GP
1 – GP AUSTRALIA F1/2023 – GIOVEDI’ 30/03/2023
2023 Formula 1 Australian GP
Frederic Vasseur, 2023 Formula 1 Australian GP
3 – GP AUSTRALIA F1/2023 – SABATO 01/04/2023 credit: @Scuderia Ferrari Press Office
BWT Alpine F1 Team leaves Melbourne without points after an incident-packed 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, which was red-flagged three times and featured three standing starts.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=39]Pierre Gasly ran most of the race in fifth place and was on par with rivals ahead, chasing the podium places. Esteban Ocon was also running in the points towards the latter stages after fighting his way up the pack, which included a sublime move outside of Turn nine on Oscar Piastri until a late red flag for Kevin Magnussen’s Haas hitting the wall.
That left a two-lap sprint from a standing start to the end of the race. Pierre ran wide at Turn 1 at the third restart of the afternoon, which forced an unstable entry back onto the track. Esteban looked to capitalise on a strong exit from Turn 1 and was unfortunate to make contact with the rear of Pierre’s car as both drivers picked up speed on the exit of Turn 2. The collision between both cars forced both drivers out of the race.
Until then, Pierre changed tyres from Soft to Hard under the first red flag on lap seven for Alex Albon’s Williams, aiming to go to the end of the race. At the same time, Esteban pitted on lap two for Hards, under the Safety Car for Charles Leclerc’s stranded Ferrari, with the same objective.
Esteban Ocon:
It’s a real shame for both cars not to finish today’s race, especially after showing great pace all weekend. We had the performance to fight the Ferraris and the Aston Martins, so to walk away with nothing was tough for all of us. The restart at the end was very chaotic, and everything went so fast. The clash with Pierre was unfortunate, and I’m glad we’re both OK. We’ve spoken about it; we’re all good and have no hard feelings. We’re both already looking forward to the next one, and I know the whole team will want to put this weekend behind us.
Pierre Gasly:
I’m very disappointed in the outcome of today’s race. We were in fifth place for most of it, chasing Carlos [Sainz] for fourth place and showed a really good race pace. For us to be so close to scoring ten points and leaving without any is a bitter one for us to take. Right now, we must focus on the positives; that is how we managed our race and how we took the fight to our rivals ahead. I’m glad both Esteban and I are OK after the incident. We’ll move on as a team and keep focused for the next race.
Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal
While it’s disappointing to leave here with zero points, we can be satisfied and positive with the performance of our car today. We showed we could race with our close rivals ahead and close cars down, and be clinical when it counts. Pierre drove very well today, running much of the race in fifth place and in the fight for a podium alongside the Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari. We must take the positives of this and use it as motivation going forwards. Esteban was certainly unfortunate with the sequence of events early in the race, but he did a good job of climbing his way back into the points with some well-judged overtaking moves. It was unfortunate to have both our cars come together at the third standing start, and I’m glad both drivers are OK, given the nature of the incident. We’ll keep moving forwards, and these hard moments are what brings the team closer together. We’re already looking forward to Baku, where an upgrade is planned.
Alpine F1 Team best pictures:
Pierre Gasly (FRA) Alpine F1 Team A523. Australian Grand Prix, Friday 31st March 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Esteban Ocon (FRA) Alpine F1 Team A523. Australian Grand Prix, Saturday 1st April 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Pierre Gasly (FRA) Alpine F1 Team A523. Australian Grand Prix, Saturday 1st April 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Esteban Ocon (FRA) Alpine F1 Team A523. Australian Grand Prix, Sunday 2nd April 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Pierre Gasly (FRA) Alpine F1 Team on the drivers’ parade. Australian Grand Prix, Sunday 2nd April 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
(L to R): Otmar Szafnauer (USA) Alpine F1 Team, Team Principal; Ciaron Pilbeam (GBR) Alpine F1 Team Chief Race Engineer; and Alan Permane (GBR) Alpine F1 Team Trackside Operations Director on the grid. Australian Grand Prix, Sunday 2nd April 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Alfa Romeo F1 Team KICK brought home two points from a chaotic 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in which three red flags conspired to keep fans on the edge of their seats until the end of the race. Zhou Guanyu kept his cool through the drama to cross the line in tenth place and immediately upgraded to P9 following a 5s penalty to Carlos Sainz ahead. Valtteri Bottas just missed out on the points in P11.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=39]The two points claimed by Zhou bring the team’s total to six so far this season, as Formula One goes on a four-week hiatus ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the end of the month.
Valtteri Bottas (car number 77):
I’m happy for Zhou and the team to return with two points from what can only be described as a chaotic race. My afternoon had been lonely and without much action until it all kicked off towards the end. We decided to take a risk at the start, and I pitted for hard tyres on lap one: the plan was to keep those tyres for the whole race, but then the red flag meant I couldn’t get many advantages from that. Later, when the safety car came out, we went for softs, but yet again, the red flag messed up my strategy. It’s been a hard weekend, we have been off the pace since the start, but we’ll look into that in the gap before the next race. I am glad to have some time before Baku to return to the drawing board and get back in a more competitive shape.
Zhou Guanyu (car number 24):
P9 at the chequered flag is a good result, especially considering where we started and our challenging weekend. There are positives to take – we had a really good start, which is something we worked really hard on, and we didn’t make any mistakes in a race with plenty of spills. We kept it clean and out of trouble, and I could keep the pressure on Magnussen in the later stages, which in the end, allowed us to get points. The conditions were difficult, and the track temperatures were very low, but we didn’t make mistakes, which is what matters. These are my first points of the year, always a nice reward in a tricky place like Melbourne. We will need to keep improving and hopefully add more points to our name in Baku and beyond.
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative:
Today’s race shows the importance of fighting until the very end of the race. We kept pushing, executed the race well, and we placed ourselves in the position to capitalise on the opportunities when they came our way: luck is only getting a chance, and we had to seize it. We were actually quite unlucky with the timing of the first red flag: we had both cars on the right strategy to fight for the top ten, but the stoppage and the free stop it gifted everyone else effectively jeopardised our afternoon. Both Zhou and Valtteri had a solid race without making mistakes, and on a track like this, they were there or thereabout at the chequered flag. Two points are a good return in what has been a challenging weekend: we need to make the most of this little break before Baku to understand how to recapture the pace we had in Bahrain, analyse the data from the car, especially with the new upgrades our team at home was able to produce for this race and get back stronger for the next rounds.
Alfa Romeo F1 Team best pictures:
Zhou Guanyu (CHN) Alfa Romeo F1 Team C43.
Australian Grand Prix, Sunday 2nd April 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Alfa Romeo F1 Team C43 in the pits while the race is stopped.
Australian Grand Prix, Sunday 2nd April 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
(L to R): Ruth Buscombe (GBR) Alfa Romeo F1 Team Head of Race Strategy with Xevi Pujolar (ESP) Alfa Romeo F1 Team Head of Trackside Engineering on the grid.
Australian Grand Prix, Sunday 2nd April 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Alfa Romeo F1 Team.
Australian Grand Prix, Saturday 1st April 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Zhou Guanyu (CHN) Alfa Romeo F1 Team.
Australian Grand Prix, Saturday 1st April 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
FIA Girls on Track with the Alfa Romeo F1 Team.
Australian Grand Prix, Thursday 30th March 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen give their thoughts following an entertaining 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=39]Kevin Magnussen
I brushed the wall at the exit of Turn 2, and the rim broke. The tire came off, and I had to stop. I didn’t even feel it, so it definitely wasn’t something that felt big in the car, but it was enough to crack the rim and take the tire off. It’s unfortunate. We were in P12, I think, at that time, and it didn’t look like I would be able to score points. We got unlucky with the first red flag as we had just pitted from P11, and we seemed to be quicker than the next couple of cars, so I was quite confident at that stage of the race. Then we pitted under the safety car, and it turned into a red flag just afterwards. Everyone put their tires on to go to the end of the race, and we were last. It wasn’t my day, but it seemed like the car had a decent pace, so I’m encouraged by that, and we’ll push next time.
Nico Hulkenberg
It was wild and a bit messy at times. We’ll have to look through everything that happened as many things were happening. I had a super start the third time on softs and came through to P4, so it’s a shame there were a few incidents, and then the race was red-flagged. There are a lot of positive learnings again, and I feel there are many good things happening. I’m refreshed and in a very positive mindset, and I really enjoy working with the team and experimenting with the car. We have very good momentum, which we want to take into the next races.
Haas F1 Team best pictures:
MELBOURNE GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 30: Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team speaks to the media during the Australian GP at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on Thursday March 30, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Simon Galloway / LAT Images)
MELBOURNE GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 30: Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team in the Press Conference during the Australian GP at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on Thursday March 30, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by LAT Images)
MELBOURNE GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 31: Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team during the Australian GP at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on Friday March 31, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jake Grant / LAT Images)
MELBOURNE GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 01: Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team during the Australian GP at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on Saturday April 01, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Simon Galloway / LAT Images)
MELBOURNE GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 02: Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team during the Australian GP at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday April 02, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Simon Galloway / LAT Images)
MELBOURNE GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 02: Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team, high fives some fans after stopping at the end of the race during the Australian GP at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday April 02, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Simon Galloway / LAT Images)
Logan took the opportunity to box twice, getting his mandatory stops in before we were back racing within a couple of laps, with Alex looking to hang on to Fernando Alonso ahead. The attack soon turned to defence from the other Aston Martin before Alex’s race ended with a high-speed accident at Turn 6, with our Thai racer quick to confirm he was OK. This brought out the first of three red flags, neutralising the race and allowing everyone a free tyre change.
After a short delay, we were back racing again, with Logan our sole focus for the rest of the afternoon. The American racer made a double move on the medium compound following the standing start, passing Sergio Perez and Nyck De Vries. It wouldn’t take the Mexican too long to get back past Logan before a Virtual Safety Car was deployed as George Russell pulled over.
After initially putting pressure on Kevin Magnussen, LS2 dropped away from the Dane and was soon in a race with Nyck De Vries on the yellow-walled tyre. Logan would box for the C2 hard compound with a little over 20 laps remaining and reeled his fellow rookie at some speed, but the Dutchman would pit just as Sarge reached his gearbox. The remainder of Logan’s charge was set to be filled with blue flags as the leading pack filtered through before late drama struck at Albert Park. Magnussen tagged the wall at Turn 3, losing his tyre and bringing out the red flag – we were set for a two-lap sprint to the finish with everyone on soft tyres.
As the sun began to set in Melbourne, the five lights went out for the third time, and chaos ensued. There was contact throughout the order, and sadly Logan was caught up in it, running into the back of De Vries, ultimately classifying him in P16.
We’re still looking at the data, but nothing unusual was in the corner itself. When I lost the car, I was going through slower than the previous lap; I went wide on the corner before and spiked the tyre temperatures, losing grip and going into the next corner a bit hot, so I think that’s what happened, but we need to look at it. With all the accidents, it was a good chance to score points this weekend, so I’m very sorry to the team. I’m disappointed; we had a great car today and were strong.
Logan Sargeant
The race, in general, didn’t entirely fall our way, with it being a really tricky day. We pitted to the medium tyre following the first safety car, and it just wasn’t the tyre to be on today, and I really struggled with it. Once we got to the hard tyre, the pace wasn’t too bad, so to end it like that is unfortunate. We tried to take some chances today, but it didn’t pay off. I’ve learnt a lot from today, so hopefully, I can use these learnings.
Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance
It was a remarkable race but ultimately a missed opportunity for us. Alex built on his excellent qualifying display to make more positions at the start and was looking good for a comfortable top-ten finish. Unfortunately, touching the kerb at high speed in Turn 5 led to a small snap and a spike in tyre temperature, which led him to lose the car at the next corner. We tried a different initial strategy with Logan, but the early red flag rendered that ineffective. Although he had some decent pace, he was unable to benefit from the unusual way that race developed ahead. We leave Melbourne frustrated that we couldn’t take advantage of our good pace and turn it into points. However, the whole team can be heartened that the car worked very well this weekend, and we will be able to put ourselves into similar positions in future races, starting in Baku in a few weeks.
Williams F1 Team best pictures:
Alexander Albon (THA) Williams Racing.
Australian Grand Prix, Friday 31st March 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Williams Racing.
Australian Grand Prix, Friday 31st March 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Alexander Albon (THA) Williams Racing.
Australian Grand Prix, Friday 31st March 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Alexander Albon (THA) Williams Racing.
Australian Grand Prix, Saturday 1st April 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Alexander Albon (THA) Williams Racing FW45 crashed out of the race.
Australian Grand Prix, Sunday 2nd April 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams Racing on the grid.
Australian Grand Prix, Sunday 2nd April 2023. Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda earned a point in the 10th after Carlos Sainz’s penalty dropped him down with teammate Nyck de Vries a DNF.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=39]Nyck de Vries
Sadly, the racing incident with Logan meant the end of the race for us. We struggled very much out there today, but we did well at the beginning on the hard compound. Unfortunately, when the red flag came out, everyone who started on the mediums got a free pitstop to switch to the hard. During the race, I also damaged the front wing, so I ended up with understeer and graining on the tyres. The midfield is still very tight, so we will continue to work and push to move up the ladder.
Yuki Tsunoda
I have mixed feelings about today. We scored our first point of the season, which is good, but to be honest, given our pace, I didn’t expect to score any today. Considering how much we were struggling before the red flag, warming up and getting the hard compound tyres in the optimum window, we should take this result and be happy with P10 as we maximised our performance. It’s a shame we lost P5 because, going into Turn 1, I managed to overtake several cars. On the positive side, we scored a point, so we will continue to work hard to score more in the coming races.
JODY EGGINTON – Technical Director
It was a very difficult race for us. Both drivers pushed hard to extract all they could from the package, but we couldn’t get the cars moving forward as required. The car’s pace was not there on all compounds, and we struggled for straight-line speed. As such, we couldn’t attack nor hold the position in some phases of the race. We leave Melbourne with a lot of data to go through and a lot of work ahead of us in order to be best prepared for Baku.
Scuderia AlphaTauri Team best pictures:
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 02: Yuki Tsunoda of Japan driving the (22) Scuderia AlphaTauri AT04 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on April 02, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 02: Nyck de Vries of Netherlands and Scuderia AlphaTauri prepares to drive in the garage prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on April 02, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 02: Scuderia AlphaTauri Team Principal Franz Tost looks on prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on April 02, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 02: Yuki Tsunoda of Japan and Scuderia AlphaTauri prepares to drive on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on April 02, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 02: Yuki Tsunoda of Japan driving the (22) Scuderia AlphaTauri AT04 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on April 02, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 02: <> during the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on April 02, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Hear from McLaren Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Team Principal Andrea Stella after the 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=39]Finishing the final lap behind the Safety Car, Lando comes home in P7 with Oscar in P9, promoted to P6 and P8 after a 5-second time penalty for Sainz.
Lando Norris
A very good race. We had a good pace throughout and avoided trouble with no mistakes. The team did a very good job. I think today’s pace was stronger than our qualifying pace yesterday, so things came together nicely. Just a well-executed race.
“I’m happy with all of that, and it’s the first points for us this season. It’s nice to get on the board, and it’s a good end to the first few races before we have a bit of a break and head into Baku and the next batch of races. I’m happy, so a big thanks to the whole team and everyone back at the factory for all the hard work as usual, and we’ll keep pushing.
Oscar Piastri
P8, I didn’t expect that at the start of the day! I’ll definitely take it. Obviously a crazy, crazy race, but we stayed there when it mattered. I’m so happy to get my first points in Melbourne and want to thank all of the home and papaya fans for their support this week. Double points for the team is a great result, and thank you to everyone who got us there.
Andrea Stella
An eventful race today in Melbourne. We managed to stay out of trouble and score our first points of the season. Even without the three red flags, it was good to see that we were in condition to race well and make good overtaking moves, so there are plenty of positives. At the same time, we know we must stay realistic and have a lot of hard work ahead. Both trackside and back at the factory, we’ll use the energy from this double points result to make us even more determined to deliver a quicker car. Thank you to everyone trackside at the MTC and our colleagues at HPP for their hard work.
McLaren Racing best pictures:
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren, waves to the crowd on the drivers’ parade
Oscar Piastri, McLaren, in the garage
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60, runs through the gravel
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60