2019 Australian Grand Prix: Race Highlights

It's lights out and away we go! Losing his front wing, going into Turn 1. Bottas ahead of Hamilton, Vettel ahead of Leclerc, Verstappen going round the outside, there's Carnage in the midfield, as the two Ferraris are separated by Max Verstappen in the middle. Behind them comes Romain Grosjean, behind his teammate Kevin Magnussen. Hülkenberg started well, Daniel Ricciardo has had an absolute shocker in his overall Prix. Let's have a little look at his start, riding on board as he tries to make a move past Perez, gets onto the grass, and that, I think, is where he lost his front wing. It just got a bit too bumpy, and he did very well to keep out of everyone's way going into Turn 1. You can see where the service road is, the grass is quite high. He's very unlucky with that, because he's barely off the road, is he? A puff of smoke there from Carlos Sainz going through Turn 13, and I think there's a fire at the back of Carlos Sainz's McLaren. He's pulling into the pit lane, there are flames, and there's a bit more smoke, and this is the first retirement of the Australian Grand Prix, and it's Carlos Sainz in the McLaren. It's a warm day, but that McLaren and the Renault engine overheating. Romain Grosjean makes his pit stop, and they're all pitting Martin a little earlier than the teams have predicted. Something's slow here, isn't it? Something's horribly slow on this pit stop. Left front won't go on, not another pit stop drama for Haas in Australia. And on board with Grosjean is sending it down the inside is Lando Norris. That time around, Jovanacci couldn't keep the line that he wanted, and Lando Norris, about five laps too late, I'm sure, for his own liking, has finally got past the Alfa. Grosjean goes down the inside into Turn 13, manages to get past the Italian in the Alfa. Oh, look, here he comes, he's getting closer, Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel. Oh, he almost, almost was alongside the Ferrari, but now gets a really good getaway from Turn 2. And he is wheel-to-wheel with DRS down towards Turn 3. Max Verstappen moves up into third place. It was tight, but he's managed to squeeze that Red Bull through and ahead of the Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel down to fourth as they retire from this race. Daniel Ricciardo. And retiring from the race is Romain Grosjean. This time last year, the wheels came off for Haas after their pit stop. That looks like another mechanical failure, another mechanical problem. Grosjean retires from the Australian Grand Prix, actually for the third year in a row. Now, look front right there, Martin. The left's not on properly, look. Yeah, the left's not on. They remember they had a problem putting the front wheel on. Front suspension's broken. For Dani Criat, he's lost a massive chunk as he went down the inside and went in way too quickly. Curiously, the front tyres weren't really locked. He didn't want to flat spot them, but there we go, so it's the lunch. So, Valtteri Bottas is going for the fastest lap once again. Max Verstappen holds it at the moment. Pierre Gasly can't get past the Toro Rosso of Dani Criat. Crucially, Verstappen is now within DRS range of Lewis Hamilton. If he can complete the lap with the pace he's going at the moment. Hülkenberg from Räikkönen, from Lance Stroll, seventh, eighth and ninth. And a really tight, epic battle in the midfield. And for the lower points places as well as Bottas does get the new fastest lap. And we start the final lap of this race. He's refreshed himself over the winter after a disappointing end to the campaign. He got seven second places during the course of 2018. But when he sees the chequered flag, he knows that he's the number one in Albert Park today. It's Valtteri Bottas who wins the Australian Grand Prix. And he wins it by a distance. Lewis Hamilton battling away with Max Verstappen for second place. That scrap is still going on as they reach the penultimate corner. Sebastian Vettel ahead of Charles Leclerc by around about five seconds at the moment. And we'll see Hamilton cross the line as once again from pole position. It's only second for the fourth consecutive year. Hamilton finishes runner-up in Australia. And Max Verstappen for the first time ever will stand on the podium at Albert Park. What a day for Mercedes. What a day for Bottas. Well done, Valtteri. You won the 2019 Australian Grand Prix. Great job. Bravo. How about that? Yeah! Thank you, guys. Well, that's payback from last year, Valtteri. Vettel with Leclerc completing the top five. Kevin Magnussen, by the way, didn't have any finishes here since 2016. Came home sixth place for Haas ahead of Nico Hülkenberg. Kimi Raikkonen points for Alfa Romeo. Lance Stroll points for Racing Point as well from 16th on the grid. And Dani Kvyat holding off Pierre Gasly to finish 10th. But for Mercedes, they were worried going into this race. They genuinely didn't believe that they had the pace after qualifying. But it's kind of borne fruit that on this track in particular, they did something.