From then on it was something of a procession for the Dutchman, cruising as he is to a third Drivers’ Championship after just three races of the season. The Melbourne track, with its four DRS zones, was already suited to thecar that ekes more out of the speed boost than any other on the grid. Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s teammate who began the day at the very back, could attest to that with a fine fifth-place finish.
Cue half an hour of head scratching from the FIA as they tried to figure out if the race could restart with two laps remaining. It could but only as a procession run, meaning Verstappen crossed the line trundling in front of Hamilton, while Alonso was reinstated to third.Indeed, the drawn-out finish ruined what was gearing up to be a pulsating climax to this race.
But then Kevin Magnussen lost a rear wheel to a track wall and the final four laps took almost an hour to complete. Mercedes were both the victim and beneficiary of this on Sunday. Russell deservedly led the race after a magnificent jump start to take Verstappen at Turn 1. Hamilton scented an opening too and forced his old rival out wide to move into second.But then Alex Albon’s Williams buckled and span out. The yellow flag was raised just seven laps in. Russell dived into the pits to throw on hard tyres that would last him the race. A moment later and the red flag went up.