Australian Grand Prix race day

By: Geoff Creighton

Summary


	Bottas wins the Australian Grand Prix by 20.8s from Hamilton
	Finnish driver sets a 1m25.580s for fastest lap point
	Verstappen passes Vettel into turn 3 on lap 31 to secure third
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Status: Stopped

10:02 That's where we're going to end our live coverage of the Australian Grand Prix - so thanks for joining us, and keep up to date with all the reaction to the season opener throughout the day on Autosport and Motorsport.com.

We'll leave you with a look back at another famous winner in Australia from 10 years ago, as we discuss whether Brawn GP's success really was a fairytale.

09:58 Plenty of surprises, then, from a season opener that winner Bottas describes as his 'best ever'. His stunning pace, and Ferrari's lack of it, will undoubtedly be two of the biggest talking points post-race.

09:52 Here's our full report on a dominant win for Bottas.

Australian Grand Prix: Valtteri Bottas dominates F1 2019 opener

Valtteri Bottas dominated the 2019-season opening Australian Grand Prix, passing Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the start to earn his first Formula 1 win since 2017

09:52 The lesser heard Finnish-German combination of national anthems plays out on the podium, before Bottas - who looks very reserved but must be hiding a huge grin - holds his winners' trophy aloft.

09:48

09:48 "I had to overtake Sebastian to get onto pod which is not easy here but was happy to pull that move off," says Verstappen, whose third place is a landmark first podium for Honda since 2008!

09:47

09:46 "It's a good weekend for the team," says Hamilton. "Valtteri drove an incredible race today so he deserved it."

09:44 That's Bottas's first victory since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale in 2017. What an emphatic statement to make at the start of the season.

09:42

09:41 Retirements: Grosjean, Ricciardo, Sainz

09:41 Outside the points: 11 Gasly; 12 Norris; 13 Perez; 14 Albon; 15 Giovinazzi; 16 Russell; 17 Kubica

09:41 "How was that? Yes! Thank you guys," says Bottas.

09:40 Result: 1 Bottas; 2 Hamilton; 3 Verstappen; 4 Vettel; 5 Leclerc; 6 Magnussen; 7 Hulkenberg; 8 Raikkonen; 9 Stroll; 10 Kvyat

09:40 Faultless performance from Bottas, whose winning margin over Hamilton is 20.8s. Verstappen is 1.6s further back, while the Ferraris cross the line a distant and disappointing fourth and fifth.

09:40 The very lapped Williams take 16th and 17th, and Giovinazzi will cross the line for 15th in a moment.

09:40 Norris resists Perez and Albon for 12th.

09:39 Hulkenberg successfully holds off Raikkonen, Stroll, Kvyat and Gasly for seventh.

09:39 Bottas rounds the final corner and wins the Australian Grand Prix!

09:39 Magnussen didn't quite get lapped, so has to do one more.

09:38 Still less than a second between Hamilton and Verstappen, but it doesn't look like the Red Bull will be able to get close enough to challenge for second place.

09:38 Magnussen does his best lap of the race - he'll have to let Bottas lap him on the last lap most likely but he now has a very safe 7s cushion over Hulkenberg for sixth and 'Class B' victory.

09:38 Bottas will be relieved - he snatches back fastest lap with a 1m25.580s as he starts the final lap of the race.

09:37

09:37 No sign of a fastest lap forthcoming for Hamilton, though, as Verstappen is within a second on the penultimate lap.

09:37 Gasly has another go at Kvyat for 10th but can't pull it off.

09:36 "I need that point," says Hamilton. He's told "strat mode 10" is available if he wants to go for a fastest lap.

09:36 Norris's pace has really tailed off - Albon has caught the 12th-placed McLaren and Perez too. But Norris is still holding on for now.

09:36 Being lapped has really closed things up in the fight for seventh - now just 2.4s covering Hulkenberg, Raikkonen, Stroll, Kvyat and Gasly.

09:35 Just one second between Hamilton and Verstappen now with three laps to go.

09:34 Verstappen looks like he's gearing up for a final attack on Hamilton. He sets a new fastest lap of the race - a 1m26.540s - and is 1.3s off second now.

09:34 Norris is still managing to resist Perez for 12th, but the gap is just 0.3s.

09:34 As Bottas laps them, things close up yet again in the battle for the final points - Stroll now has Kvyat and Gasly right on him.

09:33 Leclerc has dropped off the back of Vettel in that all-Ferrari fight for fourth.

09:32 Five laps to go now. Bottas's lead is 23.9s over Hamilton, who is 2s clear of Verstappen.

09:31 Seventh-placed Hulkenberg is about to put in his best lap of the race in response to Raikkonen suddenly appearing right under his rear wing.

09:31 Verstappen had got back within 2s of Hamilton, but appears to have dropped away from the Mercedes once again.

09:31 While focused on fending off Gasly, Kvyat has fallen 3.3s away from Stroll ahead in ninth.

09:30 Raikkonen has caught Hulkenberg for seventh place, and brought Stroll with him.

09:30 Bottas is told he still holds the fastest lap, and that Mercedes doesn't want to take any risks so won't be pitting him again.

"Copy, but I want 26 points so I'm going to go for it," is the race leader's reply.