Australian Grand Prix race day
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Alonso pitted under the VSC too and rejoined the track right alongside Verstappen, who has momentum and sweeps around the outside into fifth.
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https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DZHKxUPXkAAdlnp.jpg"/>Lap 24/58 - @BrendonHartley pits for a second set of @pirellisport soft tyres. He’s now up to P15 and looking to run right to the 🏁 #AusGP https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DZHKxUPXkAAdlnp.jpg
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That VSC has massively paid off for Ferrari. Hamilton having to lap at reduced pace on the main straight has potentially cost Mercedes this race.
Vettel takes a new set of softs and rejoins in the lead!
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Looks like Bottas managed to clear Perez in the pits, and he's come out ahead of Sainz too.
Pit stop
Vettel also takes advantage of this VSC period to pit for new tyres.
Ricciardo and Alonso haven't stopped yet and are up to fourth and fifth.
Pit stop
Vandoorne, Bottas and Stroll are quick to take advantage of the VSC to pit.
Crash
The virtual safety car is called so Grosjean's car can be cleared.
Haas team principal Gunther Steiner looks understandably distraught in the pits at the disaster that's just befallen his team.
Grosjean had lost ground in the pits and was out behind Verstappen, and then his car suddenly slowed between Turn 2 and 3 just as Magnussen had. He parks and retires.
Crash
Grosjean now slows too! Both Haas drivers have had failures on their out-laps!
Pit stop
Hulkenberg pits too, as does Perez. "You can go strat three, let's start making hay," Mercedes tells Bottas.
Raikkonen has met his target now, 28.4s last time around, but he trails Hamilton by almost six seconds now. Vettel leads by 11,4s but is lapping seven tenths slower than Hamilton right now.
Pit stop
Grosjean now pits and releases Ricciardo. "Let's up the pace, let's go," Red Bull tells its man.
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Pitstops ahead have now lifted Bottas to 10th, but he's still trapped behind Perez.
Magnussen's exit lifts team-mate Grosjean to fourth, still with Ricciardo on his tail.
Magnussen had been doing an outstanding job in the early laps to hold fourth. He parks and gets out of the car.
Crash
Magnussen rejoined after his pitstop and then slowed with some smoke from the car.
Radio Comms
Raikkonen does not sound happy as Ferrari tries to set him a laptime target of 1m28.5s. Difficult to make out, but there was a lot of swearing.
Crash
Magnussen in trouble!
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Pit stop
Magnussen pits from fourth, Sainz comes in too.
Crash
Sainz locks up at Turn 9, goes through the gravel and lets Alonso through into ninth.
Leclerc has pitted too and is now last, but 1.6s behind early-stopper Hartley.
Bottas takes a look at Perez into Turn 3 but Perez brakes late enough to fend him off and keep 11th.
Smooth stop for Verstappen, he switches from supersofts to softs and rejoins 14th behind Ocon.
Hamilton is straight back into the 1m27s now those soft tyres have warmed up. Raikkonen 1m28.7s, Vettel 1m28.5s.
Pit stop
Verstappen pits from his post-spin eighth place.
Radio Comms
"Magnussen two cars ahead of you is starting to struggle," Red Bull tells Ricciardo. "If I get an opportunity, I want to take it," he replies.
Vettel immediately ups his pace - into the 1m28s, but does he have enough life left in those old ultrasoft tyres to make any real progress against Hamilton and Raikkonen? Seems unlikely.
Fourth-placed Magnussen has a tiny bit more breathing space over team-mate Grosjean now after some tense laps. Grosjean still has Ricciardo all over him.
Alonso is putting on a spurt with the pitstops looming, he's got the gap to Sainz ahead in ninth down to 1.1s.
With Gasly's broken Toro Rosso out of his way, Leclerc is now making rapid progress up towards Stroll for 15th.
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Soft tyres for Hamilton too, so Mercedes has covered that first stop from Ferrari. Vettel's move now in the game of chess at the front.
By: Geoff Creighton
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