Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Crimson Bull Racing celebrates in parc ferme all through the F1 Grand Prix of Australia.
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Max Verstappen held off Lewis Hamilton to say a maiden Australian Grand Prix victory after a chaotic race, which completed with a processional safety-car lap following a wild past due restart.
Verstappen gave the impression to be cruising to a relaxed win having reclaimed the lead after dropping out to George Russell and Hamilton all through a frantic opening, however Kevin Magnussen’s crash and an resulting moment pink flag of the race arrange a two-lap dash to the end from a status get started.
The reigning global champion stayed in entrance of Hamilton off the road, earlier than a crash between third-placed Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz in the back of him spark off a chain of alternative collisions, with Alpine team-mates Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon taking every different out from points-scoring positions.
A 3rd pink flag adopted, at the side of additional confusion and controversy as there was once a protracted wait earlier than the FIA made up our minds to revive the order from earlier than the restart for the reason that automobiles had no longer made it some distance sufficient across the observe earlier than for the brand new classification to be showed earlier than the pink flag got here out.
That supposed that Alonso returned to 3rd, however Sainz was once left devastated as a five-second penalty for inflicting the collision noticed him relegated to twelfth, leaving Ferrari needless after Charles Leclerc’s first-lap retirement.
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Greater than two and a part hours after the race had begun, Verstappen was once left to take the chequered flag unchallenged and entire his moment win in 3 races this season, whilst Hamilton secured his first podium of the marketing campaign.
Russell, who had given up the lead when pitting underneath Protection Automotive prerequisites – no longer anticipating the pink flag that adopted – when Alex Albon crashed out on lap 6, retired on lap 18 after a technical failure.