Australian Grand Prix 2023

Where. To. Start.

I can safely say that this was a race well worthy of the 5am wake-up call and to those who, like me, haven't been so enthused by the first two races, I say; welcome to Formula 1... where anything can happen!

Last Man Standing

Every now and then you get a race in which the best outcome a driver can hope for is that they survive long enough to make it across the line. Be it a mechanical failure or a stray Alpine making its way back onto the track, there were hazards at every turn and one can simply take pride in getting through the 58 laps unscathed.

First to fall victim was Charles Leclerc (yep, again) after a collision with Lance Stroll on the first lap. His Ferrari ended up stranded in the gravel trap, causing his second DNF out of three races so far. Whilst watching the race carry on without him from the TV screens in the media pen, he stated that his goals have quite dramatically shifted since the start of the season, specifically that he is no longer focussed on podiums as much as simply finishing a race... something no Ferrari fan (or even Formula 1 fan) ever wanted to hear. I can only hope that these are just teething issues for the Italian outfit with the departure of Team Principle Mattia Binotto and that it will take time to see the true effects of introducing former Alpha Romeo Team Principle, Fred Vasseur to the position. All I can say is that, for Leclerc's sake, I hope they sort it out sooner rather than later.

Shortly after the safety car returned to the pits following the lap 1 incident, it was Alex Albon's turn to fly off track in a very dramatic fashion, becoming the second car beached in the gravel trap and neutralising the race once again. This one particularly stings as the Williams driver had outperformed all expectations with a fantastic qualifying to put his car up in P6 where he held position right up until this incident. Despite the tragedy, it must be noted that the British team have made leaps and bounds to get their car up into those midfield positions and have to be feeling fairly optimistic about their potential at such an early stage in the season. A subsequent red flag to clear the gravel and debris caused a significant shift in the order as those who had chosen to pit during the brief safety car period were now left down the order whilst everyone else was able to put on a fresh set of tyres for 'free'. Most notably, George Russell who lost out on the lead of the race and fell back to P6 with little hope of returning to the top.

Speaking of George, we did not have to wait long for the next fatality as the Brit suffered a dramatic engine failure along the main straight that left his Mercedes engulfed in flames at the end of the pit exit. A once very promising outcome quickly turned to misery while back-markers rejoiced at one less car to battle for points.

Just as everything seemed to be locked into place in a final procession to the line, Kevin Magnussen decided to shake things up even further as he contacted the wall at the exit of turn 2 causing a full tyre-blowout and copious amounts of carbon fibre strewn across the track. Yet another red flag. At this point we have lost 4 drivers, with 4 more yet to strike out... and i'm afraid it's going to need it's own separate section to explain that mess.

Wait... What Happens Now?

Red flags spawn red flags. It's been known for a while and every time we see ourselves in this position, the conversation resurfaces around what more can be done to prevent this effect. Nothing ever seems to come of these conversations however and Sunday's race was no exception. In fact it was one of the best examples as it gave us the first race in history to involve three red flag periods. Thus began our third standing start and all 16 remaining drivers went into turn 1 with an 'all or nothing' mentality. It's high risk, high reward so why not commit completely? You can imagine how this ended up with what can only be described as a game of bumper cars at the end of the main straight in which Aston Martin are spun 180, Williams and Alpha Tauri make a trip into the gravel and two pink Alpines make themselves at home in the barriers. Absolute Chaos. There is no time at all to process what has just happened before yet another red flag is called. I was bouncing around the room at this point as I couldn't physically stay in my seat! It was like everything happened in slow motion and I can only imagine what my neighbours must have thought as we screamed and yelled at 7 o'clock in the morning...

It was at this point that the confusion set in. As the adrenaline wore off, drama turned to questions and we found ourselves (along with the crowds, drivers, teams and commentators) completely lost. Did that lap count? What order are the drivers in? Do we return to the last order? How many laps do we have left? The list goes on. It felt like an eternity waiting for confirmation. In the meantime the FIA were scouring footage and getting ready to hand Carlos Sainz a monumental penalty for causing Fernando Alonso's spin at the front. In what was possibly the harshest penalty I have ever seen given, the Spaniard found himself with 5 seconds added to his race time. I realise that this doesn't sound like much, but when you combine this with the decision to end the race under a safety car, in which the cars remain completely bunched up as they cross the line, you suddenly see how significant it really is. The last remaining Ferrari was effectively relegated to the back of the grid and without a single point to his name, all for what most would consider a 'Racing Incident'. To add insult to injury, Logan Sargeant got away without any repercussions for sending his Williams into the back of Nyck De Vries and ending both of their races in the same restart. These inconsistencies are the biggest cause of headache for Formula 1 fans when it comes to FIA decision making and there is little hope for change at this point. The one saving grace this season has been the speed at which decisions have been made. In my opinion it's a huge step up from the last few seasons and massively eliminates risk of bias. I'll take what I can get I suppose?

In the end, the order was restored to that of the previous restart (minus those who didn't survive) and the final lap was completed under safety car with no risk of further incidents. It was, once again, Max Verstappen first across the line followed by Hamilton and Alonso making this one of the most highly-decorated podiums in the sport's history with a record equalling 11-championships between the three drivers! Surely that makes it all worth it? Right?

Civil War

You'll be hard to find a position on the grid more dangerous than being Esteban Ocon's teammate. Okay that may be a bit harsh but the Frenchman has a serious reputation for bulldozing his fellow drivers, particularly the ones racing under the same colours as him. However, you could argue that in this case, it was fellow Frenchman, Pierre Gasly, at fault as he went straight off at turn 1 on the final standing restart and, upon rejoining the track, met his teammate in an unavoidable collision that sent both bouncing along the barriers. Personally, I think that Gasly had no control of his trajectory and Ocon simply wasn't going to back off. After running in an unprecedented P5 and defending relentlessly for the entire race, Gasly certainly fell victim to the 'high risk' portion of 'high risk, high reward' red flag restarts. My concern now is that, knowing the headstrong character of both drivers, it won't be a huge surprise if the relationship quickly turns sour. I'm sure Alpine will be feeling the same and with such a promising performance unfolding, they will surely be devastated to walk away without a single point and a large bill to pay for the damage sustained by both drivers. However, I do believe that we are yet to see the true potential of these pink cars and it is simply a question of when this will come to fruition.

Hope in Sight for the Brits

It hasn't been easy for McLaren fans so far this season (understatement of the year). Zero points after three races was as bad as it could get and social media had quickly taken the opportunity to add salt to the wound by remarking that even former driver, Daniel Ricciardo, had had as much success without even possessing a spot on the grid. It's the kind of thing that if you don't laugh you'll cry. The land down under brought a much brighter story for the guys in orange however as simply surviving really did reap the rewards! Finishing in P6 and P8, the team found themselves 12 points richer and leap-frogging the standings from dead last to P5 (best of the rest these days)! On an even sweeter note, Oscar Piastri was able to take his first ever points finish at his first ever home Grand Prix. Of course there was a huge element of luck involved in this outcome but the pace of the car was not dismissible and, with upgrades to come in Baku, maybe we will see some more good fortune as the season continues on.

For the other two Brits on the grid, it seems that notable progress is also being made. Despite the dismal end to George Russell's race, the sheer fact that both Mercedes were able to jump Max Verstappen off the line and hold position in front of him is reason to celebrate. Hamilton even managed to hold onto his position up front, taking his first podium of the season and beating out fellow Champion, Fernando Alonso. The performance of the car, which has been regarded as 'fatally flawed' in its design philosophy, has significantly improved and all eyes are on the German team to shake things up at the front and give Red Bull a run for their money.

Final Standings

1	Verstappen
2	Hamilton
3	Alonso
4	Stroll
5	Perez
6	Norris
7	Hulkenberg
8	Piastri
9	Zhou
10	Tsunoda
11	Bottas
12	Sainz
DNF	Gasly
DNF	Ocon
DNF	De Vries
DNF	Sargeant
DNF	Magnussen
DNF	Russell
DNF	Albon
DNF	Leclerc