F1 News

Australian GP restart: Verstappen just defends, De Vries contact

Australian GP restart: Verstappen just defends, De Vries contact

02-04-2023 06:55 Last update: 08:46
1

GPblog.com

After the red flag at the Australian GP, we got a standing restart. Max Verstappen was not off to a great start at this start either, but just made it through. Nyck de Vries got into further trouble.

Slower start for Verstappen again

After a poor start to the race, with Verstappen being passed by both Mercedes, the Dutchman struggled again at the restart. Hamilton was fast away and so was Alonso behind him. Verstappen managed to keep Alonso just behind him in turn one with muscle. Two laps later, he regained his lead on Hamilton.

For De Vries, the restart did not go well. The Dutchman had strategically worked his way forward three places but was back on P17 after the start. The AlphaTauri driver had a touché with Esteban Ocon and even flew into the air for a moment. There was no damage, although he did say it didn't feel quite right in the car.