Oscar Piastri has scored the first points of his F1 career in the Australian Grand Prix, which proved to be an absolutely chaotic race with Max Verstappen eventually taking out the win amid confusion and anger. The race was stopped three times as multiple crashes and mishaps wreaked havoc on the track.
Piastri, who is from Melbourne, finished eighth in his first home grand prix, a result he was pleased with.
“It’s really cool to finally get some points on the board,” he said. “Obviously, I would have loved to have finished a bit higher, but given how crazy the race was, I’m happy with the result.”
Verstappen won under the safety car, with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso rounding out the podium. The Dutchman had been leading by a huge margin of eight seconds with just two laps remaining when a crash caused yet another red flag stoppage.
The confusion then began as stewards debated how the race should be resumed, if at all. After much deliberation, they decided the next resumption for the final lap would be a rolling start, which essentially turned the last lap into a ceremonial procession in which drivers could not change positions.
Fans and commentators were left frustrated and angry over the confusion and lack of clear guidelines on how the race should be resumed. Commentator Jenson Button described the situation as “absolute chaos,” while Carlos Sainz, who was given a five-second penalty, expressed his anger on team radio.
“It’s unacceptable,” he said. “Clearly the penalty is not deserved, it’s too severe.”
Verstappen, on the other hand, was less concerned with the confusion and more focused on the victory.
“We had good pace and we won, so that’s important,” he said.
The race was a disaster for some drivers, including Charles Leclerc, who won in Australia in 2022 but spun out on the first lap this time around, and George Russell, whose Mercedes car caught fire on lap 19, ending his race.
Verstappen’s win was his first in Melbourne and Red Bull’s first in Australia since Sebastian Vettel triumphed in 2011. Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez started from the pits due to brake issues but still managed to slice through the field to come fifth.
Overall, the Australian Grand Prix provided plenty of drama and chaos, but it was Verstappen who emerged as the victor, while Piastri’s first points finish in his home grand prix is sure to be a special moment in his young F1 career.
Chaos. Chaos?! 🤯
An absolutely insane race restart in Australia 🙃#AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/hjGrjWBixS
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 2, 2023
LAP 58/58 🚩 RED FLAG 🚩
The race will be resumed at 17:33 local time
Carlos Sainz has also been handed a five-second time penalty for his incident with Alonso at the prior restart#AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Tyvw3KvY7P
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 2, 2023
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