Leclerc cruises to dominant victory at Albert Park over Perez and Russell, while Verstappen sinks after 2nd DNF of the season.
Podium Finishers
Charles Leclerc crossed the finish line first on Sunday, furthering his already dominant lead in the driver’s championship. After starting from pole, the Monegasque seemingly cruised to victory despite two safety cars (Carlos Sainz, Lap 2; Sebastian Vettel, Lap 23). Any “threat” to a win at Albert Park was quickly diminished when the Red Bull of Max Verstappen stopped with his engine on fire on Lap 39.
Thankfully it wasn’t another double DNF for Red Bull as Sergio Perez took P2 for the day, with the Mercedes of George Russell securing his first podium with the team.
It was a crucial points’ loss and gain on Sunday, which saw Mercedes taking P2 in the constructors standings and George Russell finding himself P2 in the drivers championship. Wow!
Best of the Rest
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line fourth, a mere two seconds behind his silver arrow teammate.
It was a double points finish for McLaren with Lando Norris finishing P5 and hometown hero, Daniel Ricciardo, finishing P6. A solid showing for the papaya army after a tough start to the season!
The Alpine of Esteban Ocon finished P7 (with his teammate, Fernando Alonso, finishing P17 – effectively last – after a late pit stop to try and secure a point for fastest lap which ultimately was awarded to Leclerc).
The Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas secured P8 over Pierre Gasly (P9), thanks to the Frenchman’s unfortunate lock-up on the penultimate corner of Lap 54. It was a solid day for Bottas, who capitalized on the misfortunes of others (Sainz, Alonso, and Gasly) to finish with points after starting twelfth on the grid.
It was the (unexpected) Williams of Alex Albon who snagged the final point of the day, after a 54-lap stint on hard tires and a pit stop just before the checkered flag. A very well deserved point, indeed!
Reliability Concerns for Red Bull
Woes are at an understandable all-time high at the Red Bull garage following Max Verstappen’s late DNF, his second in the first four races.
A lot of questions to be answered as the reigning world champion dropped to sixth in the driver’s standings.
Looking Ahead to Imola
Formula 1 returns to Europe for April 24’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with Charles Leclerc leading the drivers’ championship with 71 points over George Russell’s 37. There is one thing for certain: the Tifosi are surely happy about this!
