Ferrari’s bad day, Alpine’s worse luck, and other winners and losers from the Australian Grand Prix

Photo by Clive Mason – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

From another strong weekend for Red Bull to heartbreak for Alex Albon, here are the highs and lows from the Australian Grand Prix

It was a chaotic finish, but the Australian Grand Prix ended like every other race of the 2023 Formula 1 season.

With a Red Bull driver up front.

Max Verstappen scored his second win of the season in Melbourne and his first win in the Australian Grand Prix. It was also the first victory for the team in Australia since the 2011 season. Prior to the race, Team Principal Christian Horner indicated that a victory would be a “massive” result for the team given their history, and a massive result is what he got.

But the Bulls are just one story to emerge out of Melbourne. Here are the winners and losers from the Australian Grand Prix.

Winners: Red Bull

Stop me if you heard this before.

But this was a great weekend for Red Bull.

The team scored their third win of the season, with Max Verstappen notching his second victory of 2023 ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. With Sergio Pérez finishing in P5, the Bulls leave Melbourne behind with a commanding lead in the Constructors’ Championship.

For a while, however, it looked like that might not have been in the cards.

Pérez struggled during all three practice sessions, and when he slid off the track in Q1, he was forced to start at the back of the field. He was then pushed to pit lane for his start after the team swapped out some parts to his power unit.

Then when the race began, Verstappen was beaten into the first set of turns by George Russell, and Verstappen quickly found himself in P3, behind the Mercedes pair.

However, fortunes quickly changed for the Bulls. Verstappen took advantage of the powerful RB19 — and a decision by Mercedes to bring Russell into the pits under a safety car — to surge into first place. Behind him, Pérez was driving like a man possessed. Team Principal Christian Horner said before the start of the race that Pérez getting into the top eight “would be a hell of a drive,” but Pérez strung together overtake after overtake, getting himself not just into the points, but into position to threaten for a podium.

While he would not get that high up the board, he finished in P5, keeping himself in second place in the Drivers’ Championship, behind Verstappen:

As for the team standings, the Bulls have nearly doubled-up their nearest competitors in Aston Martin:

There was a lot of talk this week, particularly during qualifying, that the field might be tightening up a bit. That could still materialize with the other nine teams having an extended break before Baku, but right now the Bulls still look like the clear class of the field.

Loser: George Russell

The day began with George Russell in a position to challenge for victory.

It ended with the Mercedes driver out of the points.

After a tremendous qualifying session that saw the Silver Arrows start in P2 and P3, with Russell in the front row, the Mercedes driver took the lead early in the Grand Prix thanks to a tremendous reaction at the start. Early in the race, it was a Mercedes one-two, with Lewis Hamilton just behind Russell.

However, things quickly went south for Russell.

Mercedes made the decision to bring Russell into the pits under a safety car after Alex Albon’s incident on Lap 7. The team switched Russell to the hard compound, thinking that he could go the distance from there and that it was worth giving up the track position now for the benefits that would come later.

Instead, the red flag flew shortly thereafter, giving every team the chance to change compounds under the stoppage. Instead of reaping the benefits of the early switch, Russell — along with Carlos Sainz Jr. — now found themselves without any advantage to speak of.

Then on Lap 18, Russell’s W14 experienced a failure, knocking him out of the race.

“We did everything right this weekend. We had a great qualifying yesterday and today, the start was perfect. We managed the first stint well and I could have extended it quite a lot more. I’ve felt comfortable and strong in the car on all three days,” Russell said after the race in a statement to the media, including SBNation. “I see no reason why we couldn’t have fought for victory today, so it’s disappointing. As soon as I came through the high-speed turn 10, I felt something go. Three corners later, I was stopped. When it’s not your day, it’s not your day.”

Russell now has to hope for a better day at Baku in the final weekend of the month.

Winners: McLaren

It has not been the best of starts to the season for McLaren, and we have discussed their troubles at length.

However, after entering the Australian Grand Prix without a single point to show for their efforts, they leave Melbourne behind with both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri having secured their first points of the season, and the team having vaulted up to fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship.

“A very good race. We had good pace throughout, stayed out of trouble with no mistakes. The team did a very good job. I think the pace today was stronger than our qualifying pace yesterday, so things came together nicely. Just a well-executed race,” said Norris after the Grand Prix. “I’m happy with all of that, and it’s the first points for us this season. It’s nice to get on the board and it’s a good end to the first few races before we have a bit of a break and then head into Baku and the next batch of races. I’m happy, so a big thanks to the whole team and everyone back at the factory for all the hard work as usual and we’ll keep pushing.”

The points were the first of Piastri’s F1 career, and they came in front of a home crowd, just minutes away from where he grew up.

“P8, I didn’t expect that at the start of the day! I’ll definitely take it. Obviously a crazy, crazy race but we stayed in there when it mattered. I’m so happy to get my first points in Melbourne and want to thank all of the home fans and papaya fans for all their support this week,” said the McLaren rookie. “Double points for the team is a great result and thank you to everyone who got us there.”

Perhaps feeling a little better about the direction at McLaren? Team Principal Andrea Stella:

Earlier this season, Stella indicated that the team’s first big upgrades to the MCL60 would not come until the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the end of April. For a time, it seemed like McLaren would need to wait until then to challenge for points, and podiums. But thanks to the frenetic finish we saw in Melbourne, the team now has some points under their belts.

With perhaps even more to come once the upgrades arrive.

Losers: Ferrari

We talked about Ferrari already, but it was a difficult weekend for the Scuderia. Charles Leclerc crashed out of the Grand Prix on the opening lap, and then it looked like Carlos Sainz Jr. was going to be out of the points following a decision to pit under a safety car and make the early switch to the hard compound. The red flag came out moments later, allowing the rest of the field to make the same switch, without sacrificing the track position that Sainz surrendered.

However, Sainz managed to charge through the field, including an incredible overtake of Pierre Gasly in Turn 3 on Lap 25, to get back into P4. When the race restarted late in the Grand Prix, Sainz was still in fourth but had a chance to secure a podium finish.

Instead, he ended up out of the points following a five-second penalty handed down for his role in a collision with Fernando Alonso.

It will be a bitter extended break for Ferrari, as the Scuderia now sit fourth in the Constructors’, well behind Red Bull and 30 points behind Mercedes.

Winner: Lewis Hamilton

Photo by Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images

Sunday was an amazing result for Hamilton.

The seven-time world champion said so himself.

“To get a podium today is amazing; I definitely didn’t expect to be second this weekend, so I am super grateful. Considering we’re down on performance, to be fighting with the Aston Martins is amazing for us at this point in the season,” said Hamilton in a statement to the media including SBNation following the Grand Prix. “We’ve just got to keep fighting. A big thank you to all the people back at the factory. We can close that gap; it’s going to be tough but not impossible.”

After qualifying in P3, Hamilton was able to navigate the multiple restarts and manage his hard tyres down the stretch, finishing in second place behind Verstappen.

It was Hamilton’s first podium since Interlagos a season ago.

Following the race, Hamilton also took a moment to acknowledge the talent — and the history — that made the podium in Melbourne between himself, Verstappen, and Alonso.

“I think, honestly, I was having to push a lot to keep… Right at the beginning, obviously, to keep Max behind. And then Fernando was pushing, you know, they’re very, very quick. So I think ultimately, he was a little bit quicker today behind me, but I just managed to hold him off,” said Hamilton trackside after the Grand Prix. “So, for that I’m really grateful and also just… What a legend. We’ve got a World Champion up ahead. We’ve got two World Champions in the top three or three World Champions in the top three. That’s pretty mega.”

Loser: Alex Albon

It looked like Alex Albon of Williams was going to be a dark horse to watch this weekend.

Or, at least that is what I wrote late Saturday morning after qualifying.

Albon looked very strong during qualifying and was as high as P2 at one point during Q1. During the second qualifying session, he remained strong, particularly during the second sector. Albon rocketed into Q3, eventually qualifying eighth.

It was all for naught, as Albon’s spin on Lap 7 knocked him out of the race. Making matters worse, it came during the sector of the track where he was strongest during qualifying, that second sector.

Albon shared his frustration following the Grand Prix.

“We’re still looking at the data but there was nothing unusual in the corner itself. When I lost the car, I was going through slower than the previous lap; I went wide on the corner before and spiked the tyre temperatures, losing grip and going into the next corner a bit hot, so I think that’s what happened but we need to look at it,” said Albon after the race. “With all the accidents, it was a good chance to score points this weekend, so I’m very sorry to the team. I’m disappointed, as we had a great car today and were really strong.”

Dave Robson, the team’s Head of Vehicle Performance, elaborated on what befell Albon in Turn 6 on the seventh lap of the race.

“It was a remarkable race but ultimately it was a missed opportunity for us. Alex built on his excellent qualifying display to make more positions at the start and was looking good for a comfortable top-ten finish,” said Robson. “Unfortunately, touching the kerb at high speed in Turn 5 led to a small snap and a spike in tyre temperature, which led him to lose the car at the next corner.”

It was the second-straight DNF for Albon, following his tenth-place finish in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. He’ll look to rebound at Baku in a few weeks’ time.

Winners: Aston Martin

When the dust finally settled on the Australian Grand Prix, Alonso had his third-straight podium of the season — the first time since the 2013 season he secured three-straight — his teammate Lance Stroll was right behind him in P4, and Aston Martin left Melbourne in sole possession of second place in the Constructors’ Championship.

Not a bad weekend for Aston Martin.

“Yeah, very. I mean, incredible. And also for the team, third and fourth, 27 points out of this Sunday, I think. It really made me feel happy for the boys and girls in the team,” said Alonso after the race. “And yeah, the race was not easy. For sure. I think at the beginning obviously we got lucky with the first red flag because George, and Carlos pitted, so we benefit from that, and then yeah, in terms of pace we were very close to Lewis, also through the race – but every time that I tried to get close, yes he seemed to pick up the pace. I try to put some pressure but, you know, he had an incredible race, no mistakes at all, as you probably expect from him, a champion. But only one lock-up, I think, Turn 13, in 58 laps. So I was trying to put pressure but nothing happened. So yeah, I will take P3.”

As for what’s next for Alonso, Stroll, and Aston Martin? The veteran thinks it is time to keep pushing up the table.

“I guess a little bit higher up on the podium, because three third places, let’s go for a second place at least,” said Alonso after the Grand Prix.

Losers: Alpine

While it was another strong weekend for Aston Martin, harsh final moments of the Australian Grand Prix have Alpine leaving Melbourne with a rather bitter taste in their mouth.

The late restart saw Pierre Gasly in P5 and teammate Esteban Ocon in P10. The team was in position to finish with both drivers in the points for the second-straight race.

Instead, both drivers were of the race moments later.

The contact between Aainz and Alonso on the restart set off a chain reaction that ended with Gasly and Ocon colliding along the right side of the track, knocking both Alpine drivers out of the Grand Prix.

Both drivers were summoned by race officials to discuss the incident following the Grand Prix, but race stewards found that it was a “first lap racing incident:”

Still, it was a tough pill for the drivers, and the team, to swallow.

“It’s a real shame for both cars not to finish today’s race, especially after showing great pace all weekend. We had the performance to be fighting the Ferraris and the Aston Martins, so to walk away with nothing is a tough one for all of us,” said Ocon after the race. “The restart at the end was very chaotic and everything went so fast. The clash with Pierre was unfortunate and I’m glad we’re both OK. We’ve spoken about it, and we’re all good and there’s no hard feelings. We’re both already looking forward to the next one and I know the whole team will want to put this weekend behind us.”

“I’m very disappointed in the outcome of today’s race. We were in fifth place for most of it, chasing Carlos [Sainz] for fourth place and we showed really good race pace,” added Gasly. “For us to be so close to scoring ten points and leaving without any is a bitter one for us to take. Right now, we must focus on the positives and that is how we managed our race and how we were able to take the fight to our rivals ahead. I’m glad both Esteban and I are OK after the incident. As a team, we’ll move on and keep focused for the next race.”

Adding to the bitterness for Alpine is the sight of McLaren jumping ahead of them in the Constructors’ Championship. Still, Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer has his eyes set on Baku, and some upgrades to come. We’ll keep moving forwards and these hard moments are what brings the team closer together,” said Szafnauer. “We’re already looking forward to Baku where an upgrade is planned.”

Winner: Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda finished in P11 at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

He finished in P11 at Jeddah in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

And when the race saw another red flag late in Melbourne, there was Tsunoda, in P11, looking again at a finish just outside of the points.

However, the five-second penalty handed down to Sainz pushed Tsunoda into P10, securing his first points of the season, and the first points of the campaign for AlphaTauri.

However, the driver’s response was somewhat muted after the Grand Prix.

“I have mixed feelings about today. We scored our first point of the season which is good, but to be honest, given our pace I didn’t expect to score any today. Considering how much we were struggling before the red flag, with warming up and getting the hard compound tyres in the optimum window, we should take this result and be happy with P10 as we maximised our performance,” said Tsunoda in a statement to the media including SBNation. “It’s a shame we lost P5 because, going into Turn 1, I managed to overtake several cars. On the positive side we scored a point, so we will continue to work hard to score more in the coming races.”

What might brighten his spirits?

Now the social media team can lay off him a bit: