The 2023 Australian Grand Prix was one of 19 Grands Prix won by Max Verstappen. Verstappen did have to fight for it in qualifying and the race. This is how last year's Australian Grand Prix went for Verstappen.

In qualifying, Verstappen soon lost his biggest rival. Sergio Perez makes a mistake in free practice and copies it in qualifying. Again, the Mexican shoots straight into the gravel and afterwards he blames his team. Perez has to start the race from the pitlane as a result.

Verstappen also has to fight for his pole position. Especially at the penultimate corner, Verstappen struggles and there he also throws away his first lap in Q3. In a second run on the same tyre, he still sets the fastest time. In the final and decisive run on the soft tyre, Verstappen is over a tenth faster than George Russell. Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso start from the second row of the grid.

Verstappen has a difficult start in Australia

The start of the Grand Prix does not go to plan for Verstappen. Russell outsmarts him at the first corner, followed by Hamilton. At P3, Verstappen has to start the chase, but he is held up by a safety car. Mercedes brings Russell in with the safety car, but when the safety car becomes a red flag due to too much damage after Alexander Albon's crash, Russell's race is somewhat spoiled.

After the red flag, Verstappen can go on the attack on Hamilton. He does not succeed at the start, but not much later Verstappen passes his rival as if it were not there. Verstappen drives around Hamilton on the straight and has already passed him before the braking zone. It shows the clear power difference between the two cars.

Meanwhile, the day is only getting worse for Russell. Indeed, who sees his race end with a burning engine. Sergio Perez, on the other hand, is working on a good catch-up race and shows several daring actions with which he is working his way to the front.

Verstappen has another precarious moment ten laps before the end. In the penultimate corner, as in qualifying, he shoots straight on. Verstappen drives through the grass and is able to continue his way, but loses some of his lead. That lead is later completely wiped out by another red flag. This time Kevin Magnussen is the culprit. He loses his wheel after contact with the wall.

FIA under fire after 'dangerous' restart

Verstappen has a great restart on the soft tyre, but behind the Dutchman things go completely wrong. Several drivers brake on the cold tyres, resulting in crashes. Carlos Sainz taps Fernando Alonso and the two Alpine cars crash out of the race. The FIA receives considerable criticism after the race.

The crashes result in another red flag and there is eventually a rolling start behind the safety car to finish the race. No one is allowed to overtake again and so Verstappen wins the race. The order of the last restart is kept as the result. Sainz is the biggest victim. He tapped Alonso around the circle and gets a time penalty for that, while Alonso just keeps his third position because the order from before that spin is kept. Sainz finishes outside the points because of it.

Verstappen wins the race, ahead of Hamilton and Alonso. Lance Stroll misses out. On the restart, he shoots straight at turn four, but regains P4 with the order held. Sergio Perez still finishes handsomely in fifth, ahead of Lando Norris, Nico Hulkenberg, Oscar Piastri, Guanyu Zhou and Yuki Tsunoda.