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Formula 1
Commentary

Live: F1 Australian GP commentary and updates – Race

Minute-by-minute updates on race day for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.

Over two years on from the cancelled Australian GP due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, F1 returns to a revamped Albert Park.

The key track changes see sections of the circuit widened, the Turn 9-10 chicane taken out to increase speeds in a flowing back section and the entire layout has been resurfaced. All changes have been made in the hope of increasing overtaking opportunities and creating more exciting races.

F1 world championship leader Charles Leclerc starts from pole position for Ferrari ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in an eventful qualifying which saw two red flags.

Fernando Alonso crashed in Q3 and Nicholas Latifi and Lance Stroll collided during Q1 which resulted in the Aston Martin driver picking up a three-place grid penalty. Alex Albon was disqualified from qualifying due to an insufficient fuel sample left in his Williams and will also start at the back.

The Australian GP gets underway at 6am BST (3pm local time).

By: Haydn Cobb, Tom Howard, Stefan Mackley

Summary

Summary
  • Leclerc wins the Australian GP from Perez and Russell to extend his championship lead
  • Rival Verstappen retires when running second after suffering a mechanical problem
  • SC deployed after Vettel crashes out at Turn 4, benefitting Russell and Alonso who had yet to pit
  • Sainz spins off into the gravel on second lap, also bringing out the SC
Leaderboard
  1. Leclerc, Ferrari
  2. Perez, Red Bull
  3. Russell, Mercedes
  4. Hamilton, Mercedes
  5. Norris, McLaren
  6. Ricciardo, McLaren
  7. Ocon, Alpine
  8. Bottas, Alfa Romeo
  9. Gasly, AlphaTauri
  10. Albon, Williams
Status: Stopped
With that we'll call time on this live coverage of the Australian GP. Thanks for following along, we'll be back in two weeks at Imola for the Emilia Romagna GP - the first sprint race weekend of 2022.
Until then have a lovely Sunday and go well! Cheers!
With that we'll call time on this live coverage of the Australian GP. Thanks for following along, we'll be back in two weeks at Imola for the Emilia Romagna GP - the first sprint race weekend of 2022.

And here's the latest F1 drivers' standings:

 
 
Come the end of 2022 that could be a massive race in terms of the championship fight, with Leclerc picking up a maximum score and Verstappen taking a big fat zero. Only 20 more races to find out. That's twenty. Oh my.

Here's the full race report on the Australian GP as Leclerc scores a dominant win:

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-australian-gp-leclerc-scores-dominant-win-as-verstappen-retires/9768584/

Leclerc and company stand to attention to the winners' national anthems as is customary. The Monegasque and Italian anthems work really well together, very jolly.
The drivers' head to the podium, which has a balcony at the top for photographers and the TV cameras which looks very fancy.
Leclerc now has a 34-point lead in the drivers' standings and records a grand slam at the Australian GP: Pole position, led from start to finish, won the race and got the fastest lap.
Leclerc on the title fight: "We are only at the third race so it is difficult to think about the championship but we have a very strong car and a very reliable car. For now we've always been there so I hope it continues like this."
Leclerc on his win: "What a car today, I did a good job all weekend but it was not possible without the car, in the race pace it was so strong and we were managing the tyres so well."

Russell on his third place: "We've got to be in it to win it and capitalise on others' misfortune and obviously we got a little bit lucky today twice, but we'll take it."
Leclerc leaps into the arms of his Ferrari mechanics to start the celebrations. After Verstappen dropped out of the race he did have it easy, but in truth he was in control of the race from start to finish.
Norris leads home McLaren team-mate Ricciardo for fifth and sixth, with Ocon seventh for Alpine, Bottas eighth for Alfa Romeo and Gasly ninth for AlphaTauri.
Albon does eventually make his mandatory pit stop in final moments and manages to snare the final world championship point in P10. A great drive from the Williams racer, well deserved.
Leclerc also sets the fastest lap of the race with his final effort of 1m20.260s - he needed that as Alonso put in a 1m20.846s which would have beaten his previous best and lost him the bonus point.
Perez takes second place for Red Bull, as Russell takes his first podium for Mercedes in third place with Hamilton in fourth place.
Leclerc wins the Australian GP for Ferrari! An utterly dominant performance!
Leclerc begins the final lap with a 19.6 lead over Perez. Start the car.
Hamilton's hopes of the podium appear to be over as he drops a couple of seconds behind Russell with two laps to go.
Bottas has passed Gasly for ninth now as we head into the closing stages.
Leclerc is still concerned about going for the fastest lap of the race. He has it with a half-second advantage to nearest challenger to that lap time, Russell, but he wants to ensure he maximises this result with the bonus point.
Alonso has come into the pits to switched to a fresh set of mediums. He was struggling with his tyres and was outside of the points.
We are onto lap 54/58 and Albon is yet to stop. The Williams driver is holding seventh.
Leclerc probably has time to check in for his flight home, such is the size of his advantage at the front, with a 20.2s lead over Perez.
Alonso is struggling with this set of tyres. It has been one of those promising weekends that has got away from the Spaniard.
Zhou is all over the rear wing of Alonso. The Alfa Romeo driver passes the double world champion into Turn 1 for P12. Alonso now drops to 14th behind Magnussen.
Perez runs wide and dips two wheels on to the grass at Turn 13, which allows Russell to move to within four seconds of him. More of that and he'll cheaply throw away his second place.
Schumacher runs wide at Turn 1 and drops down to 15th spot.
Hamilton is inching towards DRS range of Russell but so far hasn't looked to seriously attack his team-mate for the final podium place.
Just as we type that Gasly passes Stroll into Turn 1 for ninth. Bottas is trying to pass the Aston Martin driver now.
Stroll is continuing to hold up a host of cars in the battle for ninth. He does still have a five-second penalty which will drop him out of the points as it stands.
Despite wanting to do it at the end of the race, Leclerc has improved on his fastest lap with a 1m20.966s.

"Let's go for the fastest lap at the end," Leclerc tells his Ferrari team. He's got it currently with a 1m21.291s, which is half a second faster than closest challenger Perez has achieved.
Into the final 10 laps and Leclerc is slowly extending his lead at the front over Perez. 14.1s is the gap, while further back Russell still has a 1.4s gap to Hamilton in the fight for third.
Big train of cars building behind Stroll. In that queue, Alonso passes Schumacher  for P12 at Turn 3.
Ocon has been told to lift and coast as much as he can to manage his Alpine's temperatures. The Frenchman is sitting in eighth but should take seventh once Albon, who is ahead, pits.
This race is also turning into a solid day for McLaren with Norris in fifth 1.5s ahead of team-mate Ricciardo in sixth. Given how the team's first two races went, that'll be a huge boost.
Stewards say no further action for the Stroll v Bottas Turn 3 incident.
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