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Formula 1 Australian GP

Australian Grand Prix race day

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Red Bull may have given Verstappen more performance, but Alonso is putting in personal-best sector times and staying clear in fifth.
Final lap!
Ferrari instructs Raikkonen into a new engine mode to "protect" position from Ricciardo.
Vettel's lead is out to 4.4s now, so this is over reliability allowing.
Raikkonen is lapping quickly too though, so it's going to be difficult to catch the Ferrari napping.
Radio Comms
"Verstappen will try and close up. We know you have it under control," McLaren tells Alonso.
Radio Comms
"That is blistering pace - a second quicker than everyone else". Red Bull is urging its man onto the podium.
Perez remains tucked up behind Sainz, trying desperately to take 10th and prevent a point-less opener for Force India.
Leclerc has managed to get away from Stroll by a couple of seconds in their fight for 13th.
Alonso and Verstappen have broken clear of Hulkenberg, and the seventh-placed Renault is now back under pressure from Bottas.
It's not over in the fight for third though - Ricciardo pumps in a new fastest lap and closes to within 1.4s of Raikkonen.
Radio Comms
"We'll give you a bit more performance for the last two laps," Red Bull tells Verstappen, who is 0.8s behind Alonso and chasing fifth.
A slow lap from Hamilton all of a sudden - 1.3s slower than Vettel. Looks as though Vettel has broken the back of this fight now. He leads by 2.3s with just five laps left.
Sainz continues to cling on to 10th ahead of Perez, Leclerc does likewise to Stroll for 13th.
Hamilton isn't licked yet though. He takes another four tenths out of Vettel and is almost within a second of the Ferrari again.
Alonso still only has 0.7s breathing space over Verstappen in the fight for fifth, then that's another 1.3s back to Hulkenberg and another 1.5s to Bottas.
Vettel responds with a new personal best lap to stem the losses to Hamilton. Vettel leads by 1.4s with seven laps left.
Whether it's his engine or his stomach costing him pace, Sainz now has Perez within DRS of his tail in their fight for 10th.
Another new fastest lap for Hamilton, who closes to within 1.5s of Vettel with eight laps to go.
Near the back, Stroll has caught Leclerc's Sauber for 13th again.
Bottas's pace has dropped off slightly again and he falls off the back of seventh-placed Hulkenberg for the second time in recent laps.
Radio Comms
"I'm struggling with my stomach," Sainz tells Renault. "I've got a lot of nausea from the water." He's being caught for 10th by Perez.
Hamilton has regrouped and is charging back towards Vettel, but the Ferrari has two seconds in hand.
Still just 1.6s covering Alonso, Verstappen, Hulkenberg and Bottas in fifth to eighth places. But still no one able to find a way past anyone else there.
But Hamilton's charge is derailed almost immediately by a lockup at Turn 9. He's suddenly almost three seconds down. Not the Hammer Time he was gunning for.
Maybe Bottas was just taking a breather for tyre or temperature reasons, he's now doing his best laps of the day and closing on the Alonso/Verstappen/Hulkenberg fifth-place battle again.
Radio Comms
"Can I push yet? You know how much you want it! Come on!! I'm going for it!" Hamilton is going to push - consequences be damned!
Information
Out: Grosjean, Magnussen, Gasly, Ericsson, Sirotkin
Information
Outside the points: 11 Perez; 12 Ocon; 13 Leclerc; 14 Stroll; 15 Hartley

By: Geoff Creighton

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