Australian GP LIVE updates as Hamilton and Russell go for glory
Formula One preview: A lap of the Australian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton will go into this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix with high hopes of winning his first race in 15 months after securing a third-placed grid start in yesterday’s qualifying session. The 38-year-old was beaten by Mercedes team-mate George Russell once again but still managed to get himself in the top three to cap off a surprisingly good session for the Silver Arrows, who will be right on the tail of pole-sitter Max Verstappen when the five red lights go out in Melbourne.
Not many would have been expecting Mercedes to challenge for the top positions at Albert Park given their struggles as of late but the German outfit will be quietly confident of a successful race after shocking the paddock with their impressive team performance against the clock on Saturday. Hamilton was visibly delighted after the session and insisted that he will be going for victory over the course of today’s 58-lap contest, although it remains to be seen whether his efforts will pay off when the chequered flag drops.
“We are all working as hard as we can to get right back up to the front so to be this close to Red Bull is incredible,” he said. “Hopefully tomorrow we can give them a run for their money and we hope the weather is good.
“I am super grateful for this position and I am just going to work as hard as I can tomorrow. [My goal] is to get to first. I am going to try and see and I will be hoping like my first day here in 2007, Turn One. I don’t know if anybody remembers but hopefully we can do that.”
Follow Express Sport’s live updates below…
KEY EVENTS
Red flag
The red flags are brought out to suspend the race, with plenty of gravel and debris scattered all over the circuit as a result of Alex Albon’s high-speed crash.
That will represent a huge blow for George Russell, who will restart from seventh place after pitting under the safety car.
It’s also a huge advantage for Max Verstappen and the Dutchman will be looking to chase Lewis Hamilton for the lead when the action gets back underway.
Safety car
Alex Albon crashes from sixth place at Turn Seven and becomes the second casualty of the Australian Grand Prix.
Replays show that he made quite a heavy impact with the barriers after losing grip at high speed.
He appears to be okay, with the safety car having been deployed once again.
George Russell responds by diving into the pits for a new set of boots, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen both staying out.
Top three pulling away
George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are starting to pull away from the chasing pack.
Hamilton is within DRS range of his Mercedes team-mate but is also being closely followed by the Red Bull of Verstappen just behind.
Green flag! Russell still leads
We’re back underway in Melbourne, with the safety car darting back into the pits at the end of lap three.
George Russell manages to keep second-placed Lewis Hamilton at arm’s length after the restart, with Max Verstappen now third.
Carlos Sainz finds himself in fourth position ahead of Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon, Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly.
Safety car
Charles Leclerc’s stricken Ferrari is beached in the gravel and he will take no further part in this race.
What a shame that is for the 25-year-old, who is already out of his car and making his way back to the pit lane.
Replays show that he was tagged from behind by the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll, leaving him unable to avoid the gravel trap.
The safety car is quickly deployed, sparking a gaggle of early pit stops.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen is complaining over the radio that he was pushed too wide by George Russell out of Turn One.
LIGHTS OUT! Russell takes the lead
George Russell sweeps down the inside of Max Verstappen at Turn One to move into the race lead straight away!
Lewis Hamilton also gets past the Dutchman to climb into second place.
Charles Leclerc goes on to spin into the gravel at Turn Three in a nightmare start for the Ferrari driver!
Here we go
The vast majority of drivers are sporting the yellow-walled medium tyres, although Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas are all running softs.
The formation lap is underway and we’re just seconds out in Melbourne…
Verstappen focused on himself
“It should be alright, it is a bit nicer today, a bit warmer,” says pole-sitter Max Verstappen on Sky Sports F1.
“It is going to be interesting to see how the tyres are holding on. It should be OK. They will try in lap one, I just need to focus on myself and having a good launch then we will see.”
Starting grid
Here’s a final reminder of the starting order for today’s race, with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas set to begin from the pit lane after opting to make changes to their cars under parc ferme conditions.
There are just 10 minutes to go until the formation lap begins…
Russell: My eyes are on Max
“Hopefully we should be the second-best on pace,” says George Russell, who will line up just behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen on the grid.
“Some things weren’t quite right on the Friday which we improved for Saturday, we had a really big setup change from P1 to P2 that really improved the car and probably exceeded expectations. We have definitely got the car in a better window and it is promising.
“My eyes are forward, my eyes are on Max. It is in your own hands isn’t it? If you make a good start, then you have got he opportunity to jump into the lead so that is what I will be trying to do.”
Qualifying recap
Max Verstappen was able to clinch pole position for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix with a predictably strong performance in Saturday’s qualifying session.
The Dutchman easily managed to keep the likes of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton at arm’s length with a lap time of 1:16.372, which put him two-tenths clear of second-placed George Russell, but it was Mercedes who caused a surprise in Melbourne by securing P2 and P3 on the starting grid.
It was not all plain sailing for Red Bull, either, as Sergio Perez was forced to end his session after only a few minutes of Q1 due to a massive lock-up into Turn Three.
The Mexican driver was unable to stop himself from beaching his car in the gravel, which brought out the red flags and gave Red Bull some extra food for thought in terms of their strategic approach ahead of Sunday’s race.
Catch up on the full story HERE.
Good morning
Hello and welcome to Express Sport‘s live coverage of the Australian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen starting on pole in Melbourne after dominating proceedings against the clock yesterday morning.
However, the Dutchman will be pushed all the way by the Mercedes pairing of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who are set to line up second and third on the grid respectively.
We’re just 20 minutes away from lights out at a sun-drenched Albert Park and will be on hand to keep you updated with the on-track action as it unfolds…
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