Charles Leclerc coasted to his second race win of the Formula One season at the Australian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen failed to finish for the second time in three races in 2022.
F1 bosses and officials at Albert Park had done their utmost to manufacture another fight for places with track changes and increased DRS zones for the first grand prix in Melbourne since 2019.
But despite some good racing for the places behind him, Leclerc made it something of a procession, undaunted by two safety cars – first for teammate Carlos Sainz beaching himself in the gravel and then Sebastian Vettel hitting the barriers – to dominate the 58-lap race.
Only once did Verstappen really threaten the lead as the safety car pulled in on lap 27 as he ran alongside Leclerc but the challenge proved shortlived.
Within 12 laps, the defending world champion was pulled over at the side of the road seconds after reporting over the team radio that he was smelling “weird fluid”.
By that point, Leclerc was already six seconds clear, his title rival’s early exit making the race result a formality by that point.
It leaves Verstappen and Red Bull on the back foot, and history does not now favour his chances in the world title fight. The last driver to retire from two of the first three races of a season was Mika Hakkinen back in 1999, although Verstappen and his team still have 20 more grands prix in which to make amends.
In the end, the championship leader crossed the line 20 seconds clear of Sergio Perez in second with George Russell taking the final podium spot.
A weekend that had begun with all manner of head scratching for Mercedes, ended with another positive twist as had been the case at the season opener in Bahrain.
In the end, Russell, aided by the second safety car having not yet pitted, edged out Lewis Hamilton for a third and fourth the team would have readily taken when offered at any point over the course of the weekend.
It remains to be seen whether this proves an upturn in fortunes for Mercedes-powered cars as a whole or merely down to the idiosyncrasies of Albert Park but it proved a first double points finish for McLaren with Lando Norris, in fifth, bettering teammate Daniel Ricciardo in front of the Australian’s home crowd by a place.
In truth, though, it was a race which lacked the drama for the race lead offered briefly in Bahrain and more strongly in Saudi Arabia a week later.
Red Bull, with their better straight-line speed, had been expected to dominate the weekend but instead Leclerc did just that in practice, qualifying and then the race itself.
In contrast, teammate Sainz had a torrid weekend, undone by an unfortunately timed red flag in qualifying and then having a horror start to the race. He dropped a number of places and struggled for the few laps he was in the race before spinning into the gravel where his race ended.
The record crowds in Melbourne – 420,000 people have been through the turnstiles for the three days of action – were treated to a second safety car at the halfway point as Vettel, who also had a weekend to forget, crashed and spun.
But further up the field, Leclerc remained nonplussed throughout to take the race win and the fastest lap to extend his championship lead.
