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F1 Australian GP Live Commentary and Updates – Race
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix
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Having followed Perez to the chequered flag two weeks ago, reigning world champion and Bahrain GP winner Max Verstappen holds a one point lead from his team-mate after snatching a valuable fastest lap point in Jeddah.
All eyes will be on what Red Bull’s rivals can do to halt their charge at Albert Park, a venue the Milton Keynes operation hasn’t tasted victory since Sebastian Vettel’s 2011 triumph.
Verstappen will start from pole position after beating the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in qualifying, while Perez will start from pitlane after qualifying last and then making car changes in parc ferme.
Sunday's race is due to begin at 6:00am BST.
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That's one place gained back for Sainz. He takes seventh from Hulkenberg into Turn 3. Then immediately gains another from Stroll at the same spot one lap later!
Russell has cleared Gasly to move up to fourth, so he has limited the damage of his unfortunately timed pitstop. He's 1.2s behind Alonso now.
The stewards have confirmed that there will be no further investigation into the Ocon-de Vries clash at the restart. Meanwhile Perez blitzes Sargeant's medium-shod Williams for 15th at Turn 11.
Stopwatch
Verstappen has checked out - a 1m21.994s is a new fastest lap and his lead is already at 2.3s.
What a move by Verstappen to take the lead! With DRS he charges around the outside of Hamilton before Turn 9!
It's not been the ideal restart for Perez, who has lost a few positions at the restart to Magnussen (up from last to 14th) and Sargeant.
Replays show it was Ocon who was pinched to the outside by de Vries and didn't really have anywhere to go. But both are able to continue for now.
But Verstappen has found his rhythm and he's also got DRS now it is enabled.
Hamilton appears to have fired up his hard tyres better than Verstappen and is trying to get clear of DRS range before it is enabled.
Both AlphaTauris have contact in the opening few corners. Tsunoda gets a tap from Norris at Turn 2, but stays ahead around the outside into Turn 3, while de Vries is flicked up into the air and has to go to the run-off area at the inside of Turn 4, dropping back to 17th.
Russell has got up to fifth having started seventh, getting ahead of Hulkenberg and Stroll.
Lights out
Here we go again, Hamilton defends his lead from Verstappen at Turn 1 and gets clear, as Alonso tries to join the party!
There were some shenanigans at the back of the field leading up to the restart, with Magnussen actually going over the gravel to avoid a bunch of cars stopped at the apex of Turn 6 ahead of him. That was sketchy.
Hamilton is keeping a slow pace leading the pack to the grid, with the safety car already back at the pitlane.
As expected, there are shiny new hard tyres for all the frontrunners. De Vries, in 12th, is the highest restarter on mediums.
The drivers are back in their cars as the restart draws closer - it will be a standing start, with Hamilton and Verstappen on the front row.
Piastri will be among those in the camp in favour of the red flag. The local favourite has advanced from 16th to 11th, and might be on for a shot at his first F1 points finish today.
Regarding the safety car and red flag calls which triggered the pitstop wins and defeats, with the current rules it is a bit of a luck of the draw as teams cannot predict the calls from race direction.
Was the red flag for debris the right call? It'll split opinion between fans, teams and drivers - naturally depending on who you favour - but it was a clear and quick call from race direction.
It will be interesting to see what strategy de Vries, Ocon, Perez et al take for the restart as they've already run the hards either from the start or the lap one safety car. That means they (along with Russell and Sainz) don't in theory have to use it again, but there's still a very long way to go in this race.
The track clear-up is almost complete, so the race will restart at 15:33 local time - which is nine minutes away.
Quote
"Sorry George, that screwed us, but let's get the most out of it, we can still get to the front and the podium or better," Wolff tells Russell over the radio. The Brit acknowledges it and agrees to pit under the safety car was the right call.
All told it's not been a great start to the race for Ferrari, with Leclerc out on lap one and Sainz facing a similar disadvantage to Russell as those immediately ahead of him will now have a free stop too.
Word from the FIA: "The red flag is due to the amount of gravel and debris on the track [from Albon's crash] that needs clearing."
Penny for Russell's thoughts. He pitted under the safety car and it looked the right call but the red flag has flipped the situation.
Magnussen was another who pitted under that safety car and is now at the back of the order, lifting Perez up one more place to 14th.
All the drivers are taken to the pitlane, and this red flag has become a huge advantage to Hamilton, Verstappen and Alonso who will all get a free pitstop.
Albon is out of the car. Replays show he lost the back end of his Williams entering Turn 6, skittered across the gravel and clouted the barrier, causing heavy damage and scattering stones all over the road. That will have given Gasly a fright.
Red flag
Red flag!
Russell, on fresh hards now, comes out in seventh place, with Sainz doing the same and is 11th. Hamilton is the new race leader from Verstappen.
Pit stop
Russell pits under this safety car, but Hamilton and Verstappen stay out, while Sainz also pits from fourth.
Safety car
Nightmare for Albon. He's crashed out of sixth, bringing out the safety car.
Quote
"You are asking me to manage and I'm being attacked by my own team-mate," Russell says over team radio. Uh oh.
Perez has picked up another place at the expense of Zhou. His next target is Ocon's 15th place.
Gasly in eighth is the only driver on the soft tyre, but is unable to make the most of them right now stuck in the crocodile. If anything, Hulkenberg in ninth appears closer to the Alpine than Gasly is to Stroll ahead.
Stopwatch
At the start of lap six DRS is enabled, just as Verstappen sets a new fastest lap of the race of 1m23.104s.
Perez is already making ground on the hard tyre and passes both Sargeant and Bottas to take 17th.
Verstappen is pressuring Hamilton, having complained over team radio that he pushed him off track during the opening lap fights before the safety car, so this could get spicey.
Green flag
Off we go again, Russell gets a super restart to lead from Hamilton and Verstappen.
The biggest mover off the line is home hero Piastri, who has gained three spots to take 13th. De Vries is the first runner on the hard tyres in 14th but, unlike those behind him who can in theory now go to the end (remember Albon's strategy last year!), the AlphaTauri will have to switch tyres at some stage.
By: Autosport Staff
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