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Formula 1 Australian GP

Australian Grand Prix race day

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Non top 3 order: 4 Magnussen; 5 Grosjean; 6 Ricciardo; 7 Hulkenberg; 8 Verstappen; 9 Sainz; 10 Alonso; 11 Vandoorne; 12 Perez; 13 Bottas; 14 Ocon; 15 Stroll; 16 Leclerc; 17 Hartley
Hamilton is in the pits now.
Radio Comms
Mercedes tells Hamilton to "box box" in response.
And Raikkonen rejoins third. He'll be trying to do this race without stopping again.
Grosjean and Ricciardo have now caught Magnussen for fourth.
He switches on to the soft compound Pirellis.
Raikkonen is in the pits.
Information
Williams has confirmed Sirotkin's very early retirement was a brake failure.
Radio Comms
"He's still behind, though," Verstappen replies when told of Ricciardo's passing. His engineer emphasises it was Hulkenberg who Ricciardo passed, not a Haas.
Radio Comms
Hamilton is asked to pick the pace up and lap in the 1m27s. He responds immediately and stretches his lead to 3.3s over Raikkonen. The Mercedes looks in control of this race, even though the Ferraris are lurking.
Radio Comms
"We've got reports of Hulkenberg complaining about his tyres," Red Bull tells Verstappen. "For your reference, Daniel managed to pass him into Turn 13."
Radio Comms
"Leclerc is closing on you," Williams tells 15th-placed Stroll. "OK, but I'm struggling massively with oversteer," Stroll replies.
Bottas is tucked up behind Perez for 12th still. He's within DRS range but can't find a way through.
Ricciardo is closer than ever to Grosjean but still not quite close enough to try a move into Turn 3.
Raikkonen responds with a new fastest lap. The gap is back under three seconds now, but Hamilton is pushing too.
Radio Comms
"I think there's something wrong," says Verstappen. "I have so much oversteer in the middle of the corners."
Verstappen is inching up towards Hulkenberg for seventh now, that gap is down to 1.1s.
Radio Comms
"Try to push as much as you can. Critical moment," Ferrari tells Raikkonen. Pitstops approaching no doubt...
Ricciardo is still right up behind Grosjean for fifth but unable to find a way through. They've both been edging closer to Magnussen ahead.
Hamilton is slowly but surely edging away at the front now. His lead is up to three seconds - not comfortable yet, but very handy.
Gasly makes it back to the pits as replays show that was a proper smoky failure with an air of blown engine about it.
Radio Comms
"What's happening? I'm stuck," says Gasly. Toro Rosso urges him to try to get to the pits.
Crash
Gasly has slowed with some smoke from the rear of the car. It had been going so smoothly for Honda...
Another new fastest lap, this time for Hamilton. A 1m28.0s lap has his lead out to 2.8s over Raikkonen now. Vettel is now 5.6s off the lead in the second Ferrari.
Radio Comms
"Status update please," Red Bull asks Verstappen. "The rear tyres are getting really hot," he says. He's not making huge progress towards Hulkenberg right now.
Radio Comms
"It's very, very difficult to follow, so think about the strategy," Alonso adds. He's 1.8s behind Sainz in 10th right now.
Radio Comms
"Speak up a little bit because it's a long race and you're losing the energy already," Alonso tells his engineer as he gets an update on Verstappen's spin.
The Mercedes has a useful advantage in these early stages but it doesn't look totally comfortable. Ferrari could make a race of this at the stops.
Information
Outside the points: 11 Vandoorne; 12 Perez; 13 Bottas; 14 Ocon; 15 Stroll; 16 Gasly; 17 Leclerc; 18 Hartley. Out: Ericsson, Sirotkin
New fastest lap for Hamilton now, as he stretches his lead to 2.7s.
Information
Lap 12 order: 1 Hamilton; 2 Raikkonen; 3 Vettel; 4 Magnussen; 5 Grosjean; 6 Ricciardo; 7 Hulkenberg; 8 Verstappen; 9 Sainz; 10 Alonso
Hamilton is told to go to "position two" on his dash, so some technical strategy going on in the leading group.
Midfield gaps are spreading out, as is often the case as people get tyre-saving cagey before the first stops. Gasly in 16th has now fallen 5.3s away from Stroll ahead but is still holding off Leclerc.
Radio Comms
New fastest lap from Raikkonen now, who is told to "try to close" on Hamilton by Ferrari.
Having cleared Ocon, Bottas is steadily catching Perez for 12th.

By: Geoff Creighton

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